Waiting in the Sunlight
by blueboarderchick
Summary: Bella and Edward are having relationship problems. As she pulls away from Edward, she finds herself moving closer to Sam after meeting him in La Push. She feels a connection with the bronze god, but will she leave Edward for him?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Here is my newest story. It's going to be a Sam and Bella fanfiction. It will be from Bella's point of view. It will be different from my other stories, where the wolves meet Bella after Edward leaves. In this story Edward and Bella are still together. Sam broke up with Leah shortly after Jared phased and imprinted on Kim. He didn't want to risk doing that to Leah, plus she was getting really suspicious of all his secrets. The story starts after Twilight, but before New Moon, so basically the summer between Bella's junior and senior years of high school. Sam won't show up in the first chapter either, just to warn you. He'll appear in the second one, though. Oh and last thing, if you are one that likes the couple to be together immediately in only one or two chapters, you might not enjoy this story. I promise it won't take more than 15 chapters, but it will take some time. I go for reality not fairytale plotting. Okay, enough background let the story begin…

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing…The Twilight Saga and all of its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

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**Everything with Edward was going smoothly, I guess you could say that. The summer before senior year had been incredible so far, a little predictable, but wonderful. When I wasn't working at Newton's I was with Edward, or at least one of the Cullen's. In just a few short months, they became my family. I didn't plan on ever living without them. The thought of them not being in my life was painful. But I didn't need to worry about that. Edward had promised that he would never leave, unless I allowed it. And I was never going to allow that to happen.

I was sitting in the living room of the Cullen's home listening to Edward play his piano. I sighed. Edward looked up from the keys.

"Are you bored, Love?"

"Just a tad."

"Alright, is there something else you wanted to do today?" I thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

"Not specifically. It just feels like we do the same thing everyday. I want to get out the house, Edward."

"Understandable. Why don't we take a trip to our meadow?"

"We just went there last week, twice."

"Okay. We could go to Port Angeles and go to dinner."

"Where I would be eating by myself. No thanks." He looked perplexed.

"I'm not sure what to suggest then."

"It's a nice day in Forks' standards, can we go to the beach." He raised one eyebrow.

"Bella the sun is out." _And Edward would sparkle for all to see._ I sighed. _It should not be this hard to find something to do with your boyfriend._

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Love."

"Can we play a game?"

"A game?" His eyebrow rose again.

"Yeah, you know, like a board game. Do you own any?"

"You mean like Monopoly?"

"Yes, do you have that?"

"No. We have every sort of video game you could want."

"Oh."

"Do you not like video games, Bella?"

"I'm just not very good at them."

"Well, practice does make perfect. How about we give one a chance?"

"Sure." And so that began our daily game of Mario Kart. At first we tried different games, but I wasn't up for all the violence and gore that most games held. So Mario kart it was. And I had to say that I got pretty good at it. I never beat Edward, but then again I didn't have vampire reflexes. I did beat the game, though. That was enough for me to be happy. Playing the Wii held me content for another two weeks or so and then I began to feel restless again. I needed to do something new, something exciting.

One day I was flipping through the television stations, while Edward played chess with Alice. No one else would play with either of them, so they only had each other. The Cullen's had almost every television station imaginable. I stopped when I saw the X Games. I was amazed how people could be so daring. Doing back flips on motorcycles, 900-degree spins in the air while wakeboarding and double tailwhip flair on a BMX bike, whatever the heck that is. All those things seemed like fun, an ultimate adrenaline rush. I knew I couldn't do any of the things as hardcore as on the Games, but I was sure I could find something in my ability. I walked over to the chess game.

"Edward, may I use your computer?"

"Sure, Love, it's in my room." He responded not taking his eyes off of Alice.

"Thanks." I said while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

I headed up the stairs to Edward's room. Once there I turned on the laptop and googled extreme sports. What I found was abundant. Wikipedia provided me with a list of sports that were considered extreme. I looked over the list trying to determine if I could do any of them and if so, was Forks a place where they could be done. Near the bottom, I found what I was looking for. Cliff diving. It was perfect. I could do it in La Push and I thought I was capable of doing it. _I mean how hard is it to jump off a cliff? Anyone could do it, right?_ So now the easy part was done. The hard part would be Edward. I walked back down stairs and heard Alice squeal check-mate.

"Edward, I know what I want to do tomorrow."

"And what is that, Love." I heard Alice take a deep breath in.

"No, Bella, you can't do that."

"Bella, you could be seriously injured. Where would you get such an idea from?" _Great, I didn't even get to slowly work into the idea. Alice just _had_ to see what I wanted to ask and then Edward _had_ to hear her vision. I hate being human._

"I got it from the X-Games."

"Key word involved in those, extreme, and you my Love get hurt doing every day things."

"I am not a breakable doll, Edward. I can do stuff."

"Speaking of doll, let's go shopping tomorrow, Bella."

"No, Alice. I just said that I'm not a doll. I don't want to be Bella Barbie. I hate shopping and I hate being stuck in this house."

"You are by no means stuck in this house, Bella. You are free to leave as you wish," Edward said cooly.

"But I'm not free to do what I want?"

"I only wish to protect you. You know that, Bella. Cliff diving is too dangerous."

"Fine, can we at least go to La Push? It's not supposed to be sunny tomorrow."

"How about we find a different beach?"

"No, I like First Beach. That's where I want to go, Edward. Why are you being so difficult? It's like we can never do what I want."

"You want to go to the beach, and we will, just not that one."

"Why not? Why do none of you ever go to La Push?"

"That place is dangerous and they have a long history."

"I don't see how it's dangerous. And what do you mean a long history?"

"Some of the Elders remember stories that could implicate us. So we distance ourselves from them."

"Like Billy Black? Is that why he told Jacob to tell be to break up with you at prom? He knows what you are."

"He thinks he does, as do others."

"Still that's no reason for me to not go. I'll just call Angela and see if she wants to go to First Beach with me."

"No, Bella. This conversation is through. You will not go there; it's for your own good."

"I am not a child; you can't order me not to do something."

"No, but I can make sure that you won't be able to follow through with that something."

"What does that mean?"

"Hopefully it won't come to that." _He didn't even answer the question._

"Ugh, you are impossible sometimes. I'm leaving!" So I stormed out of the house and climbed into my truck. I was shaking with anger all the way home. Sometimes I felt as if he looked down at me instead of as an equal. Like I was some pet that needed to be house broken.

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I still had a few hours before Charlie would be home, so I started to clean. I cleaned and cleaned until the entire house was left spotless. Then I began to fix dinner, still reflecting that day's events.

When Charlie came home that evening, I was just finishing up dinner. We both sat down and fixed our plates. I was still lost in my thoughts of how get past Edward and Alice. Charlie broke the silence.

"So, Billy Black called today."

"Oh, that's nice. What did he have to say?"

"Well, it seems that he is having a cook out at his house this Saturday. He asked if we would be interested in joining in on the festivities. What do you think? Or do you already have plans with Edward?" _This could be what I was looking for. If I go with Charlie, Edward can't stop me._

"No, no definite plans at least. I think it would be a wonderful thing to go. I've been meaning to go down to La Push."

"Why haven't you had Edward take you?"

"The Cullen's aren't too big on beaches. They're more the woodsy type."

"Hmph. Well, then I think we should go, too. I'm sure Jacob would love to see you again." _Oh yes, Jacob. I haven't seen him since prom._

"Yeah, that would be nice. You know, to hang out with him some."

"Yep, it sure would. I really wish you wouldn't cut yourself off from the rest of your friends to spend all your time with Edward."

"I spend a lot of time with Alice. You love Alice, Dad."

"Yes, I do, but she is also his sister. Maybe you should try hanging out with people not in the Cullen family once in awhile."

"Okay, Dad. I'll give that some thought."

"Good. Well, I will give Billy a call and let him know to count two more in. Do you think you could fix something for us to take?"

"Sure. What were you thinking?"

"How about a dessert? Something sweet."

"Okay, I'll see what I can whip up."

"Thanks, Bells."

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After dinner, I went up to my room. I did a little reading. It was called _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ and it was written by James Patterson. It seemed like a rather odd, but romantic story. A young girl grows up and falls in love with the imaginary friend from her childhood. It was slightly like a modern day fairy tale with a twist. The girl got her happy ending with a man that should never have existed. I hoped that I would get that lucky, that my ending would be happy. I loved Edward, but lately I felt as if something was missing from my life. For some reason, La Push seemed like the best place to start looking. I got up and headed for the shower. When I was done I headed for my room. As soon as I walked through the door, his velvet voice filled the air.

"I really don't think that it is a good idea, Bella." _Great, I haven't even shut the door yet and he's already laying into me._

"Well, I do. And you can't stop me, Edward. It's a free country."

"Yes, it is. I really wish you would heed my warnings about going to that place."

"Warnings? You don't give me warnings, Edward. You simply say to don't go, but never have you given me a real reason."

"It's extremely dangerous."

"I spent half of my time down there when I was here as a kid during the summers. The only danger I found, was me. And I follow myself around everywhere, so technically I am always in danger."

"This isn't a joke, Isabella." I hated when he called me that. It felt like he was talking down to me as if I was a child.

"I'm going, end of discussion."

"No, not the end. Do you really want to know?"

"Yes! Why would you even have to ask?"

"You disappear, Bella. Alice can't see you there."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you vanish from her visions, and I can't let you go there, not knowing if you'll be coming back."

"Alice can always see everything, why not La Push?"

"I don't know." He was lying. I could tell. He was trying too hard to look me in the eye.

"Well, I guess this will be a learning experience then."

"I don't follow."

"I'm going regardless of what you say, so Alice will learn about her lack of visions. Whether if it's me, or La Push, or maybe even another outside force. After Saturday, we'll know." Edward didn't respond he simply left out my window. I knew he was angry that I was going against him. And the odd thing was I didn't care. I got up and closed the window and locked it.

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**Author's Note:** So, I hoped you all enjoyed the first chapter. Looks like Bella and Edward are having some relationship issues. Next chapter will be the cook out at the Black's home. And _all_ of La Push will be there. Oh and a side note. Since I have two other stories that I am currently working on, this story will only be updated once a week, probably on Wednesdays. Let me know what you think of the story so far. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews!! I was so pleased to see such support on the first chapter, that I decided to give you chapter 2 early. Next update will be Wednesday. Here is the next installment of the story and we get to meet Sam!

**DISCLAIMER:**** Stephenie Meyer owns all rights to the Twilight saga and its characters. I sadly do not own Sam or anyone or anything else.**

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So, the rest of the week was silent. I didn't call Edward or go over to the Cullen residence and Edward didn't call or try to come through my window. Though if he had, he would have found it still locked. I think Charlie inwardly wanted to throw a party himself now that Edward and I were hitting a rough patch. And in my eyes, that was all this was, was a rough patch. This was something that we would be over soon enough. Edward just needed to recognize that I was allowed to make my own decisions and I could take care of myself. I wanted him to make me like him, so that he wouldn't have to worry about things being so dangerous for me, but he was the one that insisted that I stay a fragile human. Well, this fragile human was tired of being babied.

The ride down to La Push was pretty quiet. Neither Charlie nor I were big with words. He did mention he was glad I decided to come. Also, he knew Jacob would be excited to see me. I was sort of happy at the thought of seeing Jacob again. He seemed like a boy that I could be good friends with, I always remembered him being so happy and light. _Maybe that's what I need, a friend outside of the Cullen family that I cansimply have fun with._ I didn't know what I needed, but that sounded like it could be a step in the right direction. As much as I had grown to need the Cullen's, maybe I needed something besides them as well. There was a spot that they didn't fill, and this babying me thing was only increasing that whole.

Once we arrived I took out the cupcakes I had prepared. When Charlie saw them earlier, I think he would have preferred I fixed something less dainty. But I loved to bake, and cupcakes were my favorite. Plus, I had found that cupcakes tended to last longer than a cake, where people can cut as large of a slice as they wish. I iced different ones with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. I set down the cupcakes to be grabbed up in a hug from behind. I couldn't tell who it was, but I really hoping it was Jacob, as I didn't know anyone else here.

"Bells! I am so happy you're here." _Yep, that's Jacob._

"Jacob." I croaked out, running out of air. He let me down and I turned to see Jacob standing in front of me with a wide grin and light in his eyes. I could see that our little reunion had caused several people's attention to drift to us.

"Hello, Jacob. It's nice to see you again."

"You, too, Bells. I didn't believe it when Dad told me you were coming. I thought for sure you'd be doing something with your boyfriend."

"Nope, not today." _Or any day until he learns to treat me as an adult and an equal._

"Great!" He continued talking, as I looked to see everyone had returned to their own conversations except for one. He was dangerously handsome. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I could see every muscle move as he breathed in each breath. His skin was dark, darker than Jacob's, but he seemed to radiate in the sunlight, not like diamonds like Edward, but like bronze. That's what he was, a bronze god. His eyes were almost black as night and held my own with an intense stare that I could get lost in. That I was lost in. "So do you want to check it out?"

"Huh?" I was pulled out of my thoughts. I still kept my eyes on the god.

"My rabbit, do you want to see it?" He turned around to see what I was looking at. He huffed a little and narrowed his eyes. "It's in the garage, come on, Bells," Jacob said as he grabbed my hand.

"Okay." And so I let Jacob pull me away from the stare of the mysterious, dark stranger. The farther I get away from him, the more I was wondering why he affected me so much. I was practically drooling over the guy. I've never looked at a guy that way except Edward. But Edward sort of dazzled me; it feels as if this guy altered my very core of being.

We came to a stop in Jacob's garage and I looked for a rabbit cage and all I saw was a tiny, weird looking car. I leaned against the car and took another look around. Still nothing. Jacob was looking at me expectantly. I didn't really know what to say.

"Where's you rabbit?"

"Bells, you're leaning against it." I pulled my eyebrows together confused.

"It's the car, Bella." He sighed. "You really didn't hear anything I said out there did you?" He ran his hands through his long, dark hair.

"Not really, I'm sorry. I got… distracted."

"Yeah, by Sam Uley, I saw." _Sam Uley. So that's the bronze god's name. Bella you have got to stop referring to him as that, you have a boyfriend. Not just a boyfriend, a soul mate._

"It's just he looked at me with such intensity that I couldn't look away."

"Intense, I guess that's one word for him. I could think of quite a few different ones." He spoke of Sam with distaste.

"You don't like him. Why?" Jacob shakes his head a little.

"He just walks around like he runs the whole res and the worst part is the Elders and the Council let him. They all look at him like the sun shines out of his ass or something. My dad says Sam is a great figure in the tribe, but I don't see it and neither does anyone _not_ on the council."

"I don't understand. What's so bad about him? You don't like him because the council does."

"No, it's not that, Bella. The guy is just weird. He got like a full scholarship to WSU, and then the summer before he leaves, he vanished for like a month. His girlfriend at the time, Leah, and some others put together a search team and everything. They found nothing. Not a trace of the guy. A month passes with no word from him and poof, Sam shows back up and is in real good with the council. The whole thing was just strange. And then he recruits two more guys into his little gang and then he breaks up with Leah. They'd been dating for four years and he just drops her with no warning. Everyone assumed they'd get married after he got back from the university. Now, he just keeps to himself, his little gang, and the council."

"And he never explained where he was for a month?"

"Nope, not a word."

"Okay, that is a little strange."

"Yeah, and when I tried asking questions, my dad told me to leave it alone. I needed to respect Sam. Why would I respect a guy that's like five years older than me and that dropped out of college before he even started?"

"Hmm." All this information only fueled my interest in him. I didn't know why, but I wanted to know more about Sam Uley.

Soon it was time to eat, and Jacob and I headed back out to the party. We sat on a log together eating. We carried on simple chit chat. How the school year ended, what we'd been doing so far that summer, how much we were dreading the school year arriving once again. After I finished, I found myself searching the crowd. It was only when I found him did I realize it was him that I was searching for. Sam was standing next to my father and Billy, talking. He must have felt my gaze on him, because he turned to look at me. I found myself lost in those dark eyes once again. His lips curled up and I couldn't help but smile myself. Charlie noticed that Sam's attention had transferred elsewhere and followed his gaze to me. He waved me over and called out for me.

"Bella, come on over here for a minute." I turned to Jacob, who was still stuffing his face with food.

"I'm going to go talk to my dad for a minute. I'll be back in a bit," I told him.

"Sure, sure," he said without looking up from his food. I got up from the log and threw my plate in the trash can as I passed it. As I approached Billy, Charlie and Sam, I saw that Sam never took his eyes off of me. The closer I got, the more beautiful he became._ Stop thinking like that. Think about Edward, your boyfriend, the guy you plan to spend forever with._ I got onto myself about my thoughts as I stopped in front of the group. I had to concentrate on looking at Charlie, because my body desperately wanted to stare up at the bronze god.

"Bella, this is Sam Uley. Sam, this is my daughter, Bella." I looked over at Sam and saw that he had his hand reached out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." He said in a deep and rough voice. I reached my hand out to meet his.

"You, too, Sam," I said as our hands connects. "Oh!" I jumped slightly at the connection due to an electric shock. After the initial surprise of the shock wore off, I noticed how warm his hand felt against mine._ Is he really that warm or am I just used to Edward being cool to the touch?_ I wondered.

"The reason I wanted you to meet Sam, was that he is going to be around the house this week a good little bit." I turned to look at Charlie slightly confused. _Why would Sam be at our house?_ "There are some things that need fixing and I either don't have the time or the know how to do them, so Sam is going to help me out."

"Oh, that's nice of you," I stated looking back at Sam.

"Well, I am getting paid, so it's not that nice of me," he said with a warm smile and a little chuckle.

"I still think it is."

"Will you be at your house tomorrow?" Sam asked me.

"Um, I guess so, why?"

"Well, I didn't want to get there too early and wake you up with the racket I'll be making."

"Oh, you don't have to worry; I'm usually a pretty early riser. If you come around eight I'll be fixing breakfast." _Wait did I just offer to fix him breakfast? What possessed me to do that? It was just a nice, friendly gesture, that's all. It was not because I want to spend time with him. Nope, definitely not that._ His smile got wide and his eyes lit up.

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Charlie answered before I could.

"No, Sam, Bella here is a great cook. You should take her up on her offer. You want to start the work day off right, don't you?" He said to Sam and then looked over at me. "That was a great idea, Bella. You should fix that casserole thing you make real well," Charlie told me. I nodded. Thinking of what ingredients I would need.

"I could do that. We'll have to stop at the store on the way home."

"Really, I don't want to be bother, Bella. You don't have to stop at the store and go through all that trouble for me," Sam replied.

"Bella loves to cook, Sam. You should let her do this for you," Billy said staring at Sam intently. Sam looked back him and nodded. "Oh and Bella, just so you know, Sam has quite the appetite, you may want to fix enough for six, if you plan on eating any of it." My eyes widened. I looked Sam over. He was tall, probably six foot six, maybe seven. He appeared to be all muscle. _I guess it would take enough for an army to feed someone of his size._ I thought.

"It's fine, really, Sam. I need to make a grocery run anyway. So I expect to see you bright and early at eight tomorrow. Especially if I'll be cooking for an army, I better get some help eating it."

"I'll be there," he said looking straight into my soul. I had a feeling I was getting myself into trouble, but I really didn't care. Soon, Sam had to leave, taking two other guys with him. I figured they were the guys that Jacob had mention earlier. Another hour, and Charlie and I were heading to the store, and then back home. That night I felt jittery and excited to see what would happen the following day. I hadn't felt this excited about something in awhile.

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**Author's Note:** So, we got to meet Jacob and Sam. Bella interest is peaked, what will happen when Sam comes to the house? Let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the great reviews! So this chapter will begin with the breakfast that Bella promised Sam. This chapter and the next one or two chapters will all focus on the same day as the one described here in chapter 3.

**DISCLAIMER:** **Twilight characters and related likeness owned by Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown Publishing. No profits have been received in the production of this piece.**

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I woke up at seven to start getting ready for the day. I got up and took a shower, deciding to let my hair dry naturally leaving it in waves. I went down stairs in my shorts and t-shirt to cook breakfast. I started on my breakfast casserole first. First, I cut the bread into cubes and place it evenly into greased pan. Then I sprinkled the pan evenly with sausage and cheese. Next, I mixed eggs, milk, salt and pepper together and poured them over the ingredients in the pan. After it was in the oven, I started on some blueberry pancakes. I also had some bacon cooking. I looked at the clock to see that it was five minutes until eight. I quickly cut up some fruit. As I was slicing the last of the strawberries, I cut myself.

"Ouch." I looked around, relieved that I didn't do this with Edward or Alice was there. I held a paper towel to the cut, trying to stop the bleeding. I was starting to feel the effects of smelling it. The rust smell was filling my nose. I was trying to concentrate on something else, when I heard the knock on the door and made my way to it. I opened the door to see Sam looking just as good as yesterday. I knew it was wrong, but I was inwardly pleased to see he still didn't have a shirt.

"Good morning, Sam."

"It's a very good morning, Bella." He looked down at my hand and frowned. "You're bleeding. What happened?" He asked while looking around outside the door.

"I'm fine, Sam. I just nicked myself with the knife." I could feel myself getting a little woozy from the smell still.

"You don't look so fine."

"It's the smell. I don't do blood well." I heard him give a little snort. I wondered what that was about.

"Here, let me see." I gave him my hand and he removed the towel. "It's not deep, so no stitches will be needed. Do you have a first aid kit?" He said looking up into my eyes. _Oh how I loved those eyes._ I had never seen eyes such a dark brown. Edward's eyes turned black and they were dangerous and scary looking, but Sam's deep brown eyes brought me comfort and safety. "Bella? A first aid kit, do you have one?" I shook my head and brought myself back to Earth.

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom on the middle shelf in the closet."

"Okay, I'll go get it, why don't you sit down here." He lowered me to the couch and ran up the stairs two at a time. In no time at all he was back by my side and applying a cream and then a band aid.

"There you go. You're all set." He said as he lifted my hand and placed a small kiss over the band aid. "All better."

"Yeah, all better. Thanks," I breathed out. I suddenly had the urge for him to kiss a lot more.

"Sure, it's not a problem at all." I'm not sure how long we sat there on the couch staring into each other's eyes before he finally looked away toward the kitchen. "That food in there smells pretty good." He helped me up off the couch.

"Oh yeah the food, I forgot about it. I hope you're hunger because I made tons."

"Trust me, I can always eat." He said as we walked to the kitchen. "This looks great, Bella. Thank you."

"Not a problem, Sam. Just consider it part of your pay." We sat down at the table across from one another.

"Well I sure wish all jobs were this stacked with benefits." He said while eyeing the tower of pancakes. I put four big ones on his plate and one on my own.

"I hope you like blueberries."

"I love them." He replied while dishing out the egg casserole for both of us. I also dropped some bacon and fruit on each plate. We ate in silence for a little while just enjoying the food. Every once in a while I would look up to see him staring at me with a smile playing on his lips. I decided that I would take this time to find out exactly who Sam Uley was.

"So, what do you do when you're not fixing things for other people?" I asked him.

"Well, I do some work for the Council mostly. But I also work for a construction company outside of La Push. Plus, I do whatever small things people need to be done."

"What do you do for the Council? It must be important. Jacob said they really look to you."

"Did he? Yes, I would say it is important work. Basically, it's security for the reservation and surrounding areas."

"Security from what?" He thought for a second before answering.

"From anything that poses as a threat to the tribe."

"And those two boys that left with you yesterday, they work for the Council, too?" His eyes slightly widened and then he chuckled.

"Yes, they do. You're quite the observant one, aren't you, Bella Swan?"

"Trouble tends to find me so I'm always on the look out. Sometimes I see things that others don't."

"And what do you see when you look at me?" He said with all the humor gone.

"I see a man that is probably misunderstood by most." He gave me a small smile.

"I think we've done enough talking about me, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, what grade are you in? What things to you do for fun? That sort of stuff."

"I'm going to be a senior in the fall. I like to read. I don't really get to go out and do too much stuff. My boyfriend is pretty protective of me." I noticed Sam tense up when I mention Edward.

"I see. Well, if there is anything that you would like to do and he won't let you, let me know and we'll see what we can do to rectify the situation."

"Okay. I hope you're serious, because I will probably take you up on that offer."

"I'm looking forward to it. Well, the breakfast was amazing, Bella, but I should get to work."

"Oh, okay." He stood up and took his dishes to the sink and turned the water on. "You don't have to do that. I'll do the dishes. Knowing Charlie, you already have quite the list of things to do."

"Only if you're sure about it."

"I'm sure, now out of my kitchen. Let me know if you want something to drink."

"Okay, I will. Thanks again, Bella." I nodded and he headed outside. I finished up the dishes mechanically; my thoughts were outside on a certain bronze colored man. I tried to distract myself with cleaning but everything was clean everything was still pretty clean from my massive cleaning days before. After two hours of busy work and trying to read, I decided to go out and make sure he didn't need any help. When I walked outside with a cup of cold lemonade, I didn't see him. I walked toward the back of the house and still I didn't see him. _Where did he go?_ Just as I thought my question, I heard some noise coming from the woods just beyond our yard. A moment later Sam walked out and he didn't look surprised to see me standing there.

"Where did you go, Sam?" I asked looking toward the woods where he emerged.

"Oh, I saw a dog run into the woods and tried to go after him. Bad things are in the forest, Bella." I knew there were bad things in the woods, but I wondered if he meant the same bad things I knew to really exist in those woods. Edward did say the Elders remember what he and the other Cullen's were and Sam works for the Elders. So there was a possibility that Sam thought the same thing. I didn't want to say something to trigger his suspicions or to bring light to it if he didn't have suspicions. So, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself for the time being.

"Okay. Well, I brought this lemonade out for you." He smiled widely.

"Thanks." He drank the whole glass in under a minute. "Guess I was thirsty."

"I guess so." I chuckled. "I can get you some more." I said reaching for the glass.

"Thank you. I'll meet on the front porch."

"Okay," I said as I headed back to the house. Inside I poured another glass for Sam and another for myself. I went out the front door to see Sam opening a paint can.

"What are you painting?"

"The porch. Chief Swan thinks it could use a fresh coat since he hasn't painted it since he moved in twenty years ago."

"What color?"

"Same color as it is now, white."

"Well, that's boring. He should have done something different."

"Maybe, but I don't get paid for creative ideas, I get paid for requested work."

"I suppose you're right. But what if the other person living in the home requested a different color, then could you paint with another color?"

"I guess that would be possible. What color did you have in mind, Bella?"

"Well the house is white and the shutters are blue, so I would say blue."

"A completely blue porch, Bella?" He questioned. "How about we paint the flooring blue? That way you get some color, but you don't over do it."

"I think that could work. Can we go get the paint now?"

"We?"

"Yes, I'll need to be there for final approval, don't I?" I said smiling.

"I guess you do. Let's head there now, Bella." He said holding his hand out for me. I hesitated only a moment before grabbing it and following him to his truck. The car ride was short, because the hardware store was only five minutes away. We got out of the car and I stopped Sam.

"Hey, don't you need a shirt to go into a store?" He smirked.

"Not me. Randy, the owner knows me pretty well and doesn't care. I come in here a lot."

"Oh, okay, if you say so." I bit my lip and decided to voice my curiosity. "Do you own a shirt? Because the two times that I've met you, you've been shirtless." He laughed deeply as he opened the store door for me.

"Yes, I own shirts. I just don't like wearing them. The work I do tends to do keeps me hot and sweaty. It's more comfortable without one, plus it saves me on a ton of laundry. I guess you just get kind of used to it working and then don't like wearing shirts at all after a while."

"Hmm." I could get used to being around him without his shirts, so it didn't bother me one bit. I was just curious.

"Why, Bella? Does me not wearing a shirt bother you?" He asked while smirking. _Damn him!_ He knew that he had a great body. Damn, anyone within a mile of him knew he had a great body.

"No, it does not. I was just curious if it was something I would being getting used to." His eyes widened a bit and seemed so shine a little brighter as did his smile. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You plan to be around to get used to seeing me without a shirt." He said it more as a statement than a question. I took a second to think about it. I guess that is what I implied and it was what I wanted even if I didn't know why.

"I guess I do."

"Good." He reached over and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Let's pick out that paint." We picked out a blue that matched the shutters. But it took us twenty minutes to agree on which color best would match. Finally, I gave in seeing as he did this sort of thing on a regular basis. We bought the paint and headed back for the house. I'd never looked forward to home improvement so much.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I am so sorry this is late. I had a test and a paper due before the Thanksgiving break and pulled an all nighter. Then I drove home to my parents' house only to clean for the entire day. Then I saw New Moon, FINALLY! Then it was Thanksgiving, and I saw New Moon again, and then I pulled another all nighter shopping for Black Friday sales all over Jacksonville. And now I am currently babysitting my nephew. But here is the chapter. I have only had 8 hours of sleep since Tuesday, so if it is slightly off, I apologize. I hope you all enjoy it. And I hope that all of my U.S. reader's had a great Thanksgiving Day.

**DISCLAIMER:** **Twilight characters and related likeness owned by Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown Publishing. No profits have been received in the production of this piece.**

* * *

We made our way back to the house quickly. We started on the railing first and painted them a crisp white. I was painting along the bottom, while Sam of course worked on top. He didn't even need the ladder to reach the top.

"So, you asked what I do in my free time, what do you do, Sam?"

"Well, I don't actually have that much free time. I keep pretty busy."

"Don't you have any fun?"

"Yeah, sure, sometimes. Not that often to be honest. Um, my work with the Council is pretty important and takes up quite a bit of my time and energy," he said.

"Well, when you do have fun, what it is?" I really wanted to know about him, and it was depressing to hear that he didn't have any fun. I wanted him to be happy and it sounded like that maybe didn't happen very often.

"I like to go cliff diving with Jared and Paul," he said after a minute of thinking. "But I don't mind not doing a lot of things. I'm a pretty simple guy."

"Cliff diving?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, there a great spot at First Beach."

"I was just talking about cliff diving last week. Could you- I mean would you take me next time you go?" His eyes slightly widened and he started to bite his lip.

"Um, you know it's pretty dangerous."

"Yeah, I know, but I really want to give it a try. I don't get to do a lot, like I told you before. I really want to try something exciting."

"Okay, if you're sure. I'd rather go with you then you go and do it by yourself. You seem like the type to go and try that. It wouldn't be safe to try this own your own. It can be dangerous for anyone if done incorrectly."

"Great, so when can we go? Today?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Wait just a minute, Bella. I'm pretty sure that the Chief wouldn't be appreciative if I didn't finish my work because I took his daughter to go throw herself off a cliff for fun. So, why don't we just finish my work here this week and maybe next Saturday or Sunday we can go."

"Right, I forgot that you would have to finish your work. It seems like we're just having fun. And yeah, Charlie should probably not be told of our plans. He would totally flip out if he found out. So would Edward for that matter." Sam's body tensed on the last sentence. I was seriously wondering if he knew what the members of the Cullen family were.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't need to know, Cullen that is. I'm sure I could talk Charlie into being okay with the idea. Your dad doesn't have anything to worry about. I'll keep you safe, Bella, always." I had a feeling that we weren't talking just about the cliff diving. He always spoke with a knowing voice that implied more than what was said.

"Safe from what, Sam?"

"Anything… everything," he answered earnestly. It was vague, but I got the point. I just wondered why Sam Uley appeared to care so much about me. He seemed like a great guy, so why did he want to waste his time with me?

"You don't have to do that you know."

"Yes, I do. I have to keep you safe. It would k- I just have to."

"Really, I'll be fine. I'm sure you have better things to do, Sam."

"From what I can see, you need my protection more than anyone," he said narrowing his eyes at me. This infuriated me. I thought he understood that I didn't like being smothered.

"I'm not a little child that needs looking after. I am an adult, well I will be in a couple of months, and I can take care of myself. I've done a pretty good job so far, after all I am still alive. So, you can rest assured that I won't just break. I am not weak," I said fiercely.

"Bella, that's not what I was saying, not at all. I know that you aren't weak. I just want you to be safe and to know that with certainty I feel the need to protect you myself."

"I don't need a protector, Sam. Not another one, I don't like having the one I already have."

"I'm sorry, Bella, really I am. I should respect you better than that. I didn't mean to belittle you. You're important to me, Bella. I'm sorry that I crossed that line. I want to be your friend, not your father."

"Good, because a friend is what I think I could really use."

"Why do you say that? Don't you already have friends here in Forks?"

"I did, or I do. I don't really know. Ever since I started dating Edward, his family has pretty much become the only people I hang out with. I guess I've just lost touch with my old friends a bit. And as much as I love all of the Cullen's" I could see Sam shudder a bit "I need friends outside of that family. It's not healthy having my entire life center around so few people."

"I agree that you definitely need to spend time outside their home. The more the better," Sam said.

"It does get awfully boring there some days. That's why I kind of want to go cliff diving. One to prove I'm not a breakable doll. And two, I need to experience something different and exciting. I feel like Edward and I fell into a habit or routine of sorts. I love my time with him, but I feel like something is missing. And I feel like it's close, like I could reach out and put on my finger of it, but it moves away just as I get close enough to realize it's there," I stopped rambling, knowing that Sam probably thinks I have issues. "Sorry, I tend to have word vomit every once in awhile, especially when I'm feeling frustrated. Sometimes talking it out helps with the understanding process, but to an outsider I sound crazy."

"You don't sound crazy, Bella, quite the opposite really. Most people don't pick up on such feelings, and when they do, they discard or ignore them. You actually seek out the truth and that is a very rare and noble gift," he said looking over at me intently with shining eyes. His almost black orbs melted me instantly.

"Wow, you just made my rambling sound like a treasured ability," I said with a smile. It was amazing how Sam could say things that went straight to my soul after only knowing me for two days. "It's definitely not my best attribute if you ask me."

"It's cute, so you shouldn't be embarrassed by it." I know that I was turning red and turned so Sam couldn't see it. "That blush is even cuter," he said. I turned back toward him to see that he'd moved directly next to me. His breathing was heavy and he was staring down at my lips. I felt like a magnet was pulling me to Sam. I could feel my heart beat increasing as my body anticipated the contact. We were only a few inches from one another's lips when he pulled suddenly away. "I think the railing is done, and we can start on the floor," he said looking all around except at me. _God Bella, way to be stupid. Sam probably has a girlfriend and you almost kissed him. Never mind the fact that you do have a boyfriend. Though I wonder what it would feel like to have Sam's lips on mine. Edward's are cold and hard, I bet Sam's are warm and would mold to mine._ I thought as I watched Sam prepare the blue paint.

For the next thirty minutes it was quiet. We both knew we almost kissed and apparently it wasn't a good position for either of us to have been in. I tried to focus on Edward, but we still hadn't talked since our fight and I didn't even mind. Two months ago I would have had nervous and anxious feelings if Edward was away more than two days on a hunting trip. But now I don't even care about when I talk to him next. I know I should, but with Sam, even when it is post almost kiss awkward, I don't feel that hole.

We were almost finished painting when Sam finally broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for before, Bella. It was wrong of me. I know that you have a boyfriend, and I shouldn't have put in that compromising situation. So, I apologize. It won't happen again. We're trying to become friends and I don't want to jeopardize that. I need you in my life, Bella, any way I can. And if that is as a friend, then I am honored to fill the job and I will be the best friend you can have."

"You don't have to apologize, Sam. Nothing happened, so there are no worries. Plus, it would have taken two if something had happened. I definitely don't want to mess up this friendship. I know we only just met, but I feel like you're supposed to be in my life, that you are supposed to be my friend."

"Don't worry, Bella, I'm not going anywhere," he said tapping his brush on my nose.

"Hey! That wasn't nice, Sam."

"Well, what can I say, I'm not always nice." I flicked my brush so that drops of paint flew into Sam's face. And that was the beginning of our twenty minute paint fight. Somehow I ended up with almost all of the spare paint on me, while Sam looked nearly clear of any paint.

"You ready for lunch?" I asked Sam as we, or rather I, cleaned up out back at the hose.

"Bella, if we're going to be friends, then you are going to have to quickly understand that I am never _not_ hungry and when I do eat, I could eat an entire turkey and all the fixings for a family of four in one sitting. So, you never have to ask if I am ready for a meal. Got me?" He said smiling.

"Gotcha," I replied heading inside. Sam followed me in and helped me fix lunch. I had one turkey sandwich as I watched Sam eat five sandwiches loaded with turkey, ham, and roast beef.

"How old are you, Sam?"

"Twenty-one."

"Oh, really, I sort of would have guessed a few years older, like twenty-three."

"You thought I was twenty-three, over five years older than you, and you still wanted to be friends with me?"

"Honestly, I've always gotten along better with adults or people older than me. My mom said I was born middle aged. I guess that makes me a little boring, huh?"

"You're just responsible and mature, that doesn't mean you act middle aged or boring. I don't understand why you insist on thinking that some of your best qualities are your worst ones. You really don't see yourself clearly, Bella. I think we're going to have to work on that in this friendship of ours."

"If you say so…"

"Oh, I say so. Hey do you want to-" he was cut off by the phone shrilling on the wall.

"Sorry, let me get that real quick," I said hoping up to get the phone. I picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello."

"Bella!" Alice screamed into the phone.

"Yes, Alice."

"Are you okay?!" she shrieked on the other end.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you disappeared. I can't even see you now that I'm talking to you. I thought maybe you'd, well, I thought you may have died."

"I'm fine, Alice."

"Then why can't I see you? It's only supposed to happen when you are in La Push, not in your own home." I heard some murmuring through the phone.

"Bella, it's Edward."

"I'm fine, Edward," I repeated myself.

"Bella is there someone else with you there?"

"Yes."

"Who?" I looked over at Sam who was sitting at the table. He looked tense and his breathing was strained.

"Sam, Charlie hired him to do some work on the house."

"Is Sam from La Push, Bella?" Sam started to lightly shake.

"Yes, why?" I waited for a response and all I got was the dial tone. I looked at the phone and then at Sam. "That was strange."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Edward and Sam meet. Let the showdown begin... I'd love to hear what your opinion of the chapter and/or story is. Review and tell me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Oh My! You guys really rocked with the reviews for chapter 4. I got the most reviews in one chapter that I have ever gotten on any story. Just for that I am updating early! So, thank you bunches!! So, Eddie makes another appearance, will it be the last? Read and find out!

**DISCLAIMER:** **Twilight characters and related likeness owned by Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown Publishing. No profits have been received in the production of this piece.**

* * *

"Maybe I should I go," Sam said after a minute of silence.

"No, you shouldn't. You don't have to leave just because my overprotective boyfriend and his crazy sister on their way. If you're going to be my friend then you need to meet Edward and Alice and you all will have to get along."

"Honestly, Bella, I don't think that will happen."

"Why?!"

"I can't really say, just me and Edward aren't going to be friends and I think it will be best if we don't even stay in each other's presences."

"Sam, please."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I would love to be in your life and get to know your friends, just not the Cullen's. I can't do that."

"Bella!" I heard Edward yell from the front door. Too fast he was by my side. "You need to leave now," he hissed at Sam.

"I was just on my way out."

"No he wasn't. Sam is my friend, Edward. I don't want you to chase him off."

"Friend, you can't be friends with him, Bella." I heard Sam snort. "What dog? I know my girlfriend just fine." Sam's eyes widened and then narrowed. "Yes, I can." _What is Edward doing, Sam will know he can read minds?_

"If you knew her, then you would know she doesn't like being told what to do."

"Bella knows I only do what is best for her.

"Sure, I should go. I'll see you later, Bella."

"I don't think you will," Edward hissed out.

"No! Sam, we still have work don't we?"

"I'll be back tomorrow around ten."

"But I'll be at work then."

"Then I guess I'll see another time. I promise," Sam said looking straight into my eyes. He headed for the door. Edward made a move for the door as well.

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"I'm just going to have a small chat with Sam," he said leaving before I could reply. As quickly as I could, I hurried to the door. When I got outside they were both in defensive positions yelling.

"Keep away from her, dog!"

"I'm not the leech who puts her in danger every second she's in the room."

"I love her, I would never hurt her."

"Mistakes happen," Sam growled out.

"They won't with me. But with you she could certainly get hurt! You could lose control at any moment."

"I have plenty of control. I've been doing this for years."

"That's why you're shaking." I then noticed that Sam seemed to be vibrating.

"Exactly, if I didn't have control I would be doing something else."

"Bella, get back inside. And you mutt leave and don't come back." I was getting fed up with this.

"I'm not going anywhere, Edward. Why are you treating him like this? He's my friend."

"How can he be your friend, Bella? You've known him for a day! And I know what is best for you."

"Edward, you don't tell me who I can be friends with."

"Bella, please get inside."

"No, besides Charlie hired Sam to do some work around the house, he has to come back. You can't stop him."

"Emmett and I will do whatever it is."

"No you won't. Charlie asked Sam. You can't control every single thing in my life, Edward. What is wrong with Sam? He seems like a really great guy to me," I said not understanding Edward.

"He's dangerous, Bella. You could get hurt around him. We've discussed this, Edward, I could get hurt by myself on a regular basis. Plus, can you really say that? I mean your family isn't the safest to be around all the time either."

"Bella, we would never put you in harm."

"You have before, Edward. Remember James. You don't on purpose but I don't think Sam would ever do that either."

"What happened with this James?" Sam asked.

"I got hurt because of a person that knew the Cullen's. I'm fine, but I am just proving my point that Edward can't always protect me."

"She got hurt because of you!"

"It was one incident, it was nothing. Besides, Bella wants me here. So I am not going anywhere. I'll never love anyone besides me, and the same goes for her. We're soul mates." Sam suddenly started to shake really badly. I didn't know what was going on. I heard Sam yell and take off to the woods, leaving his truck in the drive.

"Sam!" He kept running, not turning back. I started to walk toward where he went.

"Bella, don't."

"Edward, stop, I need to check on him."

"No, he'll be fine. He was going to be danger, that's why he had to leave. Don't you see that he can't control himself?"

"Control him self from what? I don't understand how Sam could be dangerous, I mean I see that he's huge, but he doesn't seem like he would hurt anyone."

"Bella, let's go inside and discuss this?" Alice chirped.

"When did you get here, Alice?"

"Just now, Edward is by far the fastest of us." She was talking like Edward didn't just run my friend off.

"I want to know what is going on here and I want to know now, Edward. No half-truths, no protecting me from the truth."

"Fine, Bella, but like Alice said we should head inside the house." I stomped my way through the front door, with Edward and Alice close behind.

"Okay, spill," I ordered.

"Why don't we sit," he said. I sat on the couch and looked at him expectantly.

"Bella, do you know anything about the Quileute tribe?"

"Not really, Jacob told me a few things early this year. He's the one that told me about what you guys are."

"Did he tell any stories about wolves?" I had to think for a few minutes and try and remember that day on the beach.

"Um, yeah, they're the one enemy of vampires, right? What is this all about?"

"Those stories are just as real as the ones about us, Bella," Alice answered.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning your friend Sam turns into a giant wolf in his spare time," Alice explained.

"And he's dangerous and can change without warning, Bella. You could get hurt very easily around him."

"He wouldn't hurt me, Edward."

"You don't know that, Bella. You've known him for one day."

"And you don't know him at all."

"I know his kind."

"And what about them?"

"People around them can get hurt. I only want to protect you, Bella."

"Why does he turn into a wolf?"

"To protect his tribe."

"From you."

"Yes, from me and any other vampire in the area."

"And you knew this whole time. This is why you didn't want me in La Push?"

"Yes, that is correct. Alice can't see you there."

"Why not?"

"Apparently I cannot see the wolves, or anyone that is with them. That's why we called today. When I went to look in on you I saw nothing. It was almost like you didn't have a future anymore, like you were dead. You had us scared half to death."

"You are already half to death."

"Real funny, Bella, this is not a joking matter."

"What do you expect from me, Edward? I just found out werewolves exist. It's like I can't have friends that are human since moving to Forks."

"Technically they are shape shifters."

"They don't hurt anyone do they? I mean besides vampires. And they won't hurt you will they? You guys don't pose a real threat to them or anyone."

"No, they don't hurt anyone. And they won't attack us, last time we were here Carlisle made a treaty with the Alpha of the pack. As long as we don't bite anyone, and stay off their land then they will leave us alone."

"So what will happen when you change me?"

"We'll leave, Bella. It will all be okay," Alice added.

"Like as in never come back leave?"

"Yes, Bella, we'll never come back to Forks. It will be too risky. It's too risky now for you to be friends with Sam or anyone in La Push. Imagine what reaction Sam or another wolf would have if you told them that you planned to join this life. They won't be very understanding, I can assure you," Edward continued. I felt really saddened by this. I would never be able to see or talk to Sam. That seemed like an impossible outcome. It hurt to think of never hearing his deep voice or looking into his dark, endless eyes. I didn't want to lose Sam. I didn't really want to lose anyone. But I had to in order to be with Edward, right?

"Look, I don't care who is what mythical creature. Sam is my friend and it will stay that way as long as I have a say in it, and I can guarantee you that I have a say in this. I can't take much more of this control, Edward. I want to be with you forever, but not if it is going to be like this. Things have to change and they have to change now and drastically so. Do you understand?"

"Be reasonable, Bella. If you want to do more we can, but being friends with a werewolf is out of the question."

"Are you not listening, Edward?"

"I am Bella, but you need to listen to me as well. I've dealt with these things before."

"Things? I'd say they're more human than you are."

"Bella!"

"Alice, I'm sorry, but that is my opinion."

"I can't see you when you're with him, Bella. We all know that you find trouble. I need to be able to see to protect you and I can't do that with the dog around."

"Don't call him those names, his name is Sam."

"Fine, but really Bella I cannot protect you with him or the other pack members around."

"From the sounds of it, Sam would be able to protect me just fine. If he can take down a vampire, I think I would be safe with him."

"But can he protect you from himself if he gets too mad or from one of his pack dogs?"

"How many times do I have to say that Sam wouldn't hurt me? I am beginning to feel as if I'm on repeat."

"I could say the same thing, Isabella."

"You know what? Good bye, Edward. I need you and Alice to leave. I can't think with the two of you breathing down my neck anymore tonight. You need to leave my house," I said heading toward the stairs. I was tired and didn't want to argue in circles any longer.

When I came out of the bathroom I could just barely hear Alice and Edward talking downstairs.

"So, you think he has some obsession with Bella?" Alice asked.

"Not an obsession, just a protective bond with her. He feels deeply for her. There is a connection that binds him to her. I've never heard of such a thing. He had a complete devotion to her. I just don't understand it. Then from how she talks, she seems to reciprocate those feelings to a small degree. I wish I could see into her mind to know what she is thinking exactly."

"Do you think she has romantic feelings for him?"

"No, just a strong need for friendship. I've never seen her so riled up over something. I just wish I knew why she wanted his friendship so much."

"I don't know, Edward."

"And when I said she was my soul mate, his mind practically exploded with anger. I do not want him around her."

"She seems to have her mind made up pretty clearly, Edward. I see her disappearing on a regular basis."

"But she still comes home to us, right? I mean she's not leaving our lives, my life, is she?"

"No, not if you allow her some freedom. If you don't pull back the reigns, she will leave you, Edward."

"Then, I guess, I don't really have a choice. You go home, Alice. I'll stay, she may not want me to, but I don't want to be without her. I've been away enough this past week."

"It will all work out, Edward. That's what I see. See you at home later."

Edward didn't come up, and I stayed in my room reading a novel. I came down to fix Charlie dinner and didn't see Edward. I assumed he was staying out of my way. _Good. _I thought. I didn't want to leave Edward. I had my life planned with him for forever. I was so set on that path for myself that another path didn't even seem feasible anymore. I went to bed with a lot on my mind, trying to figure it all out. I would have to try again in the morning.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So no BIG showdown just yet. Sam wouldn't want to out himself in front of Bella while attacking her current boyfriend. Eddie better shape up or he'll be shipping out. Hopefully Sam can keep his cool while waiting in the sunlight for his love. Speaking of love, keep up the love in the reviews! They make me super happy!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry for any delay on any of my stories. I had papers and projects due this past week and I have final exams next week, so updates will get more frequent after next Friday. Not much action in this chapter, really it is all about Bella and how she is processing everything.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

The next morning I left for work still agitated from the day before. I was still trying to process the fact that Sam was a werewolf, or shape shifter or whatever. I accepted that vampires were real easily enough. But I was having a slightly harder time wrapping my head around shape shifters. I think it was because vampires looked pretty much like they did as humans, just paler and more beautiful and then of course the eyes. I just couldn't imagine Sam turning into a wolf. That seemed a little too farfetched if you asked me. I think it was something that I wouldn't fully grasp until I saw it with my own eyes. A man turning into an animal didn't make since scientifically possible at all.

I wanted to ask Sam about it, but I thought better of it. We had just met and I'm sure that he didn't go around telling just anyone that little fact about himself. I wanted to wait until he felt the need to tell me. It wasn't technically any of my business and I wouldn't bother him with my curiosity. But there was another thing that held my wonder. _What did Edward mean by that we have a bond or connection? And did Sam really care for me as much as Edward made it sound like._ I knew that I felt a need to have in my life, and that I found him insanely attractive, and he seemed like a wonderful person, but what did all that mean? If I didn't know better I would say that I had a crush on Sam. This was completely absurd, because I was completely in love with Edward. _Right?_ Edward was my future. I needed him. The thought of him leaving was heart breaking. But the thought of not having Sam in my life was just as hurtful. But I couldn't be with two people, so what did that mean? I had too many questions and no one to answer them.

I got to work and avoided Mike by working in the stock room taking inventory. Unfortunately, that only took up the first two hours of my six hour shift. He kept going on and on about some movie about aliens playing in Port Angeles. I really didn't care about aliens. I had real mythical creatures I was dealing with on a regular basis. Little did Mike know that he didn't have to look far to get his make believe action fix. I declined the offer, once again, to the movie. I wondered what it would take to get Mike to forget about me. I thought it would take a lot, like maybe a wedding ring or a personal threat with a deadly weapon. Two complete opposites but both would draw the line very clearly for the poor boy. I really didn't want it to come to either of those options though.

I was ecstatic when Mrs. Newton let me go home early due to it being a slow day. Driving home, I was hoping that Sam was still at my house, but I didn't get my hopes up too far. I pulled into the empty drive and reluctantly got out. I walked up on the freshly painted porch and let myself in, but not before noticing something stuck under the door. I knelt down and grabbed the piece of paper. It was a handwritten not.

_Bella,_

_I finished up the work I had to do on the house today, so I won't be returning tomorrow. I know I promised you a day of cliff diving, don't think I forgot. Below is my number, call me and we can arrange a time and place to meet up this weekend. _

(360) 374-9653

_Yours truly,_

_Sam_

I wanted nothing more than to call him that instant. But I didn't want to look overeager. And why should I, I was a girl with a boyfriend, with a soul mate. Edward had said it yesterday, we were meant for one another. Part of me thought I should ignore these feelings I was having for Sam and avoid him from now on. Forget that he ever existed. But felt like a sin of the worst kind. The other part, the stronger part, thought I should see where these feelings went. I still had time before Charlie would be home and dinner needed to be made.

Watching television seemed dull, so I went up stairs and stared at my bookshelf. I wasn't in the mood for Brontë or Austen. Scanning the shelf, I saw a thin, yellow paperback. I almost missed it. _Tuck Everlasting._ It was written by Natalie Babbitt. _Hmm, I haven't read this one in a few years. _I picked up the small book and headed outside. I lay down and began to read it; the story suddenly came back to me. It was about a very young girl, named Winnie Foster, who came across a family that stayed forever young. They weren't vampires by any means, just drinking from a certain spring kept them ageless. She becomes very close with the youngest of the Tuck family, Jesse. He will forever be seventeen and wants Winnie to drink from the spring once she is seventeen, too. He wants to spend forever with her. Through her time with the family, she sees how immortality does have its costs. You lose everyone around you but those in your immediate family who are also immortal. You have to be on the move every few years before anyone becomes suspicious. You never have a real life of settling down and living. Even though the Jesse wishes for Winnie to drink from the spring in a few years after she has aged a bit more, Winnie decides against it. She lives her life and finds her happily ever after.

I finished the book pretty quickly, I was a fast reader and it was only 130 pages. I went inside and started on dinner. Charlie and I ate in almost silence. I complained of a head ache and went up stairs to bed early. I fell asleep while still pondering the similarities of my life to that of Winnie Foster.

I awoke the next morning not wanting to go to work again. The only good thing was that Mike was off. _Thank goodness._ I didn't think I could take another day with him, or rather half day. I got off work at noon. I got ready and went down stairs for breakfast. Charlie was reading the paper.

"Good morning, Bells."

"Morning, Dad." I sat down with my bowl of cereal.

"So, you get off early today, right?"

"Yep."

"Well, I was think-" The phone started ringing. "I wonder who that could be." I got up and answered it before he could.

"Hello," I said into the phone.

"Bella, I just wanted to inform you that we will be going hunting today and tonight."

"Okay, Edward."

"And just so we're clear, I won't be too far away if Alice's visions or lack of, suggest I need to come home."

"I am just going to work today, Edward. No need to worry."

"Then I will presume that you will be telling Charlie no when he asks if you are going to La Push today."

I wasn't planning on it, so I guess that will be my answer."

"Good, see you tomorrow. Esme would like you to come over for dinner. She'll make your favorite."

"Sounds nice, tell I would love that."

"Tomorrow, then?" Edward said unsure of him self. I wasn't going to take my frustration with him out on Esme. If she would like to have me over, then I would oblige.

"Yes, see you then. Tell the family to have fun."

"I will." I heard the click and hung up the phone. I guess he was just as unhappy with me as I was with him. _Oh well._ I had better things to worry about.

"What did he want?" Charlie never did hide his dislike of Edward.

"He and his family are taking a spontaneous camping trip today and tonight. I'm going over for dinner tomorrow after they get back."

"Hmm. Guess that means you're free after work then."

"For what?"

"Well, Billy said that Jacob was asking about you. Wondering when you would come back down and hang out."

"Oh, well, I don't know."

"Also, I found this out back," Charlie said pulling something up from the ground by his chair. It was a work belt. Sam's work belt. "I thought while you were down there you could return this to Sam."

"Oh, well, I don't know if I'll be up to it." More like I didn't know if my truck would be up to it once Alice saw my decision.

"Well, why don't you put it in your truck just in case?"

"Sure." There was nothing wrong with that. I was just following what Charlie wanted. I wasn't going to go down there.

I took the tool belt and threw it on the passenger seat and headed to Newton's. It was a pretty busy day and the shift went by quickly. I climbed in the truck and looked over at the tool belt. It seemed like such a normal thing, but I couldn't picture Edward wearing one. Sam looked great with his hung low on his hips. But Edward seemed to clean and pristine to do any manual labor or wear a tool belt. I was having weird thoughts so I shook them away and thought of something else.

My mind wandered back to the book I read the previous day. If I spent eternity with Edward, then I would never get to see Jacob, Sam, or any others in Forks or La Push again. That was not a good thought. But that was the future and I was in the present, so I needed to embrace life while I had it. I needed to spend time with those I would lose. I needed to go to La Push. My mind was apparently behind my subconscious because I was already half way to La Push when I made the decision. _Well, that could work in my favor._ I looked behind me and saw nothing so I pushed the truck as fast as she could handle. I let out a sigh of relief when I passed the first homes leading to La Push. I didn't know where this magical boundary line was, but I was pretty confident I had passed it.

I headed to the Black's house once I taken a deep breathe in and congratulated myself on my success. I hadn't the slightest clue where Sam's house was and his number was on his note which was somewhere in the pages of _Tuck Everlasting._ When I arrived at the old red house I saw movement inside. _Good, some is home. Let's hope it's just Billy._ I didn't think Jacob would be too thrilled to hear that I was hear looking for directions to Sam's house. As I got out of the truck the front door opened and Billy rolled out.

"Nice to see you, Bella."

"You too, Billy."

"What can I do for you today? Jake's not here, he went down to the beach with some friends."

"Oh, okay. Well, I actually had another reason for coming too."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Sam Uley's house," I said looking at my shoe. I don't know why I felt so nervous asking. I heard a small chuckle come from Billy. I looked up to see that he looked pretty amused.

"Sam, huh?"

"Um, yeah, he left his tool belt at the house, and Dad wanted me to return it to him."

"Okay, well, I'll give you the directions, they aren't too hard. But, I have to tell you that he won't be home."

"Oh," I said trying to not only hide but to understand the great sadness and disappointment that washed through me. "I can just drop it off, I guess. Or, maybe you could pass it along."

"How about you try this, you go on down to First Beach, find Jacob and his friends. Jake will be ecstatic to see you. Hang out with them for a little while, and I'll make sure that Sam finds you before too long. He lives right down the street from the public access to the beach." That actually didn't sound like too bad of a plan. I could hang out with Jacob; I knew it would mean a lot to him. I really didn't want to hurt him if he found out that I came to La Push and didn't even see him. Plus, it was a perfect reason to wait until I could give the tool belt to Sam himself.

"Sounds perfect, Billy. Thanks for the suggestion. So, Sam will find me at the beach, then?"

"Yep, I guarantee it," he said with a sly smile. I didn't know why, but it seemed like Billy was always up to no good lately. That's when it hit me. He was an Elder. He had Jacob warn me about Edward. He knew what Edward was. He probably knew what Sam was.

"Hey, Billy, do think Sam is a good guy?"

"I think he is one of the best out there, Bella. He's given up a lot for this tribe. He is a very loyal and dedicated soul. One would be lucky to have Sam Uley in their life. Why do you ask?"

"I just got the exact same impression. I was just wondering if I was right."

"You should follow your instincts and your heart, Bella. Sometimes our mind can play tricks on us, or others can play deceive us and fool our hearts." I nodded not completely understanding him. I knew the ultimate message. Break up with Edward, forget the Cullen's.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The ever mysterious Billy…hmm. Wonder if Bella will take his advice. Next chapter will have some Jacob time and maybe Sam. We'll see. I may get caught up in Jacob time and Sam time will have to wait another chapter. Review and let me know what you think.

Plus, I will give a big shout out next chapter for anyone that guesses my secret 'wolf' mention in this chapter. It's hidden somewhere, so go look.

Also, I wanted to give a shout out to **Lorelei Eve **for submitting a nomination to The Eddie and Bellie Awards for a couple of my stories! I don't know if they'll make it to the voting ballots, but thank you for taking the time to send it in. It means an awful lot to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Thank you all so much for the reviews! So, no one found my hidden 'wolf' mention. If you spell out 'wolf' on the phone it is 9653, which were the last four digits of Sam's phone number he left Bella. So, I am writing this while watching the very beautiful Taylor Lautner on Saturday Night Live and struggling to cut his scene short and add Sam in like many of you asked for. FYI, the skits that Taylor did were corny but funny. Oh and he did this cool spinny thing with this really long sword looking thing. It was awesome and quite frankly, really hott. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story, though my sister says that I should write my own book and actually make money from all the time and energy I spend to write on here.

* * *

I pulled up to First Beach and parked the truck. I got out and headed down to the beach. I looked to my right and to my left and didn't see Jake. I took a chance and went to the right. I walked for nearly twenty minutes, passing lots of people, but none of them Jacob. Just as I was about to turn back I heard my name being called. I whirled around to see a wide grinned Jacob jogging toward me.

"Hey, Bella, what are you doing down here?"

"Well, I had to return something to Sam, and I thought while I was down here, I could come hang out with you. Of course, if that's alright with you that is. I don't want to intrude if you're hanging out with your friends."

"Nah, Bella, you are always more than welcome to hang out. Come on, it's just two of my friends. Just as a warning, though, ignore anything they say."

"Okay, will do. Thanks for the warning."

"Sure, sure," he said leading me over to two other dark skinned boys while holding on to my hand. The two looked on with very curious and amused eyes. "Bells, this is Embry and Quil, guys this is Bella."

"Oh, Bella, is it?" The shorter and burly one asked. I nodded. "Well, I am Quil Ateara and I can show you a much better time in La Push than this little punk can," he said smirking.

"Shut it, Quil," Jacob warned.

"What? I only speak the truth. Bella would be much better going out with me."

"She has a boyfriend, dummy."

"Oh, yeah, one of the freaky Cullen's, right?"

"His name is Edward, and I don't find him particularly freaky." I answered.

"Well, if he is so great than what are you doing down here, hanging out with us lowly folks?"

"He is on a camping trip with his family. And I can hang out with people other than my boyfriend. He doesn't control me. I have free will, you know." Or at lea_st that's what I'm trying to prove to him._

"Whoa, someone's a little defensive."

"Quil, seriously, leave her alone," Jacob said again.

"What, Jake, you know you want to know as much, if not more than us," Embry responded.

"Come on, Bella, let's leave these fools."

"No, Jake, I don't want to pull you from your friends."

"Well, they aren't acting much like friends today."

"Jakey, come on, man. We're just messing around," Quil said draping his arm over Jacob's shoulder.

"Yeah just some fun, Jake," Embry added.

"Whatever, you two better watch your backs."

"Or what? What are you going to do-" Quil was cut off by Jacob tackling him down to the ground. The two were wrestling with one another. I was starting to get concerned when Embry answered my unvoiced worries.

"Don't worry, Bella. They do this all the time." I nodded my head watching the young boys mess around.

It was amazing how a few minutes of wrestling could get a friendship back on track, forgetting the previous anger. We stayed there in that spot, just hanging out. It was nice and different spending time with people close to my age, in human years, not vampire years. Jacob and his friends were so light hearted and laughed at anything and everything. I felt like I could breathe in La Push, and I didn't even know that I felt that suffocated in Forks. La Push felt like a second home suddenly. We were just talking about the upcoming school year. The boys were ready to not be at the bottom of the totem pole anymore. I was listening to them talk about their school when I felt goose bumps form on my arms. It felt like I was being watched. I heard Jacob start to grumble under his breath.

"Jake?" I questioned. He simply nodded behind me. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at the sight. _My Sam. Whoa, where did that thought come from? I swear I lose all reason and thought around this man._ I saw Sam smile back at me and nod to the boys.

"Bella, I was told to come find you."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, it is. So, do you have something to give me?"

"Yep, it's in the truck. Just give me a minute."

"Take your time." His eyes went over to Jacob. "I'll wait by your truck for you."

"Okay, thanks." Sam walked back up the beach toward the small parking lot. I turned back to a solemn looking Jacob.

"So, I guess I'll see you next time you're waiting on Sam, then."

"Jake, don't be like that. We'll hang out again before summer ends, I promise. Today was really fun; it was just what I needed. It was nice to meet you, Embry and Quil. I'm sure I'll see you guys around." I got up and walked over to Jake and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for today, Jake. I'll call you later."

"Sure, sure. Bye, Bells."

"Bye, Jake." I promised myself that I would come back whether Edward liked it or not. I really had a blast with Jacob and his friends. I couldn't remember I had that much fun doing nothing. I walked quickly up the beach, tripping once over some kid's sand bucket. When I reached the truck, Sam was leaning up against it. _Boy, he looks great today. God, what is wrong with me? Maybe it's that bond that Edward and Alice spoke of._ I wanted to ask Sam about the bond, but I couldn't really do that without admitting that I knew what he was. Which then had me thinking of Sam turning into a furry animal and that seemed just absurd looking at him then.

"It's good to see you again, Bella. I'm sorry that last time was a little…tense."

"Oh, no, it's fine. Edward can be a little…intense sometimes."

"I'm sure he just wants what is best for you."

"Well, he thinks he's doing what's best for me. But really he's just pushing me away. I am getting kind of sick of being treated like a porcelain doll. He doesn't want me to be friends with you."

"And what does that mean for us?" he asked a little bit worried sounding.

"Nothing for us, just that Edward will just have to learn to get over it. Edward can't decide who my friends should be. If it was up to him, I wouldn't set foot in La Push at all."

"Yeah, I bet," Sam said lowly. "How about we do something fun?"

"Like what, cliff dive?" I asked excitedly.

"Well, no, the beach is kind crowded. That's more for a non-tourist infested day. The Elder's don't really won't the public getting any ideas, so the res kids wait for less crowded days. How about we go over to the Youth Center?"

"The Youth Center? What would we do there?"

"Play with the kids."

"You don't really seem like a kid kind of guy."

"Why because I'm so large?" I laughed.

"You are a tad bit intimidating looking, Sam."

"Yeah, we'll good male figures aren't in abundant supply around here, so I try and help out when I can. I know what it's like to grow up without a father. My grandfather, Levi Uley, did the best he could. I was lucky to have him, but not all kids on the res have a grandfather looking out for them." I was wondering what else I could possibly find out about this man standing in front of me. Every time we met I learned something so unexpected and wonderful. I really wanted to learn exactly who Sam Uley was, because no one word could describe him.

"Well, then let's go. Though, I'm warning you that I don't do great around kids. I mean, I got along with adults better than I did with my fellow elementary students," I said hopping into the truck.

"But you had friends, right?" Sam asked while sliding me over to the passenger seat and hoping behind the wheel.

"Yeah, sure, sort of. But to be honest, I ate most years in the teacher's lounge. The food fights didn't really appeal to me."

"Bella, what kind of childhood did you have?"

"Not much of one, I guess. My mom was, or I should say still is, a bit hair brained. I love her, but someone had to be the adult and it was me in our house."

"Well, you don't live with her anymore, so we'll have to see what we can do about correcting the lost childhood moments that you missed out on." Sam put the truck in park and we exited the cab. I looked around and saw a gymnasium type building that looked as if it had seen better days. "You coming, Bella?"

"Yeah," I said walking toward him. We went inside and there were some boys around the middle school age shooting basketball at one end and what looked to be a crafts and arts table at the other.

"Sam!" "We call Sam on our team." "No fair, you guys had him last time." "Sam, join the game!" All the boys seemed excited to see Sam arrive.

"Well, isn't someone a rock star?" I said jokingly while bumping his side with my shoulder.

"They just want me for my height," he said to me. Then he yelled back over to them, "Hey guys! I want you to meet my friend, Bella. Can she play with us?" The boys all looked me over with critical eyes before looking back to Sam. They reluctantly agreed.

"I don't think I should. I'm clumsy, remember. Sports and I never really agreed."

"Do you think I wouldn't look out for you, Bella?"

"I don't think even you will be able to protect me from myself and my lack of coordination."

"Let's give it a go, right guys?" The boys all cheered. I reluctantly walked onto the half court. I was put on Sam's team; I guess they figured my mess ups could be corrected by the giant. Things were going pretty well while I avoided contact with the ball. Unfortunately, one of the boys decided to be nice and toss me the ball. By some miracle I caught the ball and in my surprise I forgot what to do next. The boys on my team yelled at me to shoot the ball. I panicked when a rather large boy headed my way and threw the ball quickly at the hoop. I may have gotten the ball in the hoop if Sam's head hadn't been in the way.

"Oaf," he groaned as he rubbed his head. He turned to look at me with amusement in his eyes. "I thought you said that you would be endangering yourself, not me."

"I am so sorry, Sam. I panicked and just threw it without really looking or aiming or whatever it is that I should have done."

"No worries, I was just surprised. But maybe you'll be better off painting with the girls."

"Sure, sure. You do know that my painting skills are better than yours anyway."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Bella."

"Sam, are we still playing or are you going to continue to flirt with the paleface?" I blushed at the name and the flirt comment. I was sure I looked like a tomato.

"Don't call her that, Kain," Sam said angry.

"What? That's what she is, it's just a fact."

"But you didn't mean it that way. I think you owe Bella an apology."

"Sam, really it's not a big deal." I tried to reason.

"No, Bella, the boys need to learn to respect all of their elders whether they come from the res or not. That kind of talk won't be tolerated. If we disrespect others, then we can only expect the same unto us."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have said it," the boy said to his shoes. I could see Sam still wasn't happy.

"It's alright. You guys should finish your game. Sam, I'll just be over at the craft table."

"Okay, Bella," he said smiling again at me. I walked over to the table and saw the girls were all drawing and painting pictures.

"Hello," I said a bit nervous. The girls all looked at me with a small amount of confusion. "I came with Sam, but it appears that basketball isn't for me, so I was wondering if I could join you girls." They looked at each other and nodded. I sat down and grabbed a piece of paper and brush. "So, is there something that you are painting in particular?"

"We're painting things that remind us of the tribe. I'm drawing the tide pools," a small girl with big doe eyes answered. I thought for only a second before knowing what I wanted to draw. I got so caught up in the painting that I lost track of time. I finished the last stroke and looked over to the basketball court and didn't see Sam. I began to fret that he left me.

"Bella," I heard his deep voice call. I looked behind me and saw him on the floor sitting Indian style playing a game of cards. "Are you ready to go? They'll be closing up soon."

"Oh, yeah, sorry I just got really into the picture."

"That's alright," he said leading me out the door. "Did you have fun? I'm sorry that we didn't really get much time together."

"No, it was fun. I really enjoyed it. If you think they wouldn't mind having me, I'd love to come back."

"I'd love for you to come back with me. What did you paint in there? Can I see?"

"Well, the girls said that they were painting things that reminded them of the res and tribe. So, ta da…" I said showing him my picture. He looked shocked by the subject of the painting.

"It's a wolf," he said in awe.

"Yep," I said proudly. I was worried it looked like a really furry horse.

"It's a black wolf," he said with a weird look on his face. "Why did you pick a black wolf to paint, Bella?" _It reminded me of you. _I thought.

"Jacob told me some of the legends awhile back and those were what came to mind."

"And why black?" This I didn't really know, it just seemed like the right choice.

"I'm not sure exactly. I started to go for brown but black just seemed more familiar if that makes any sense. It probably doesn't, but any other color just felt wrong."

"It makes perfect sense," he said looking straight into my soul again like that first day.

"Do you want to keep it? I know it won't be worth anything one day, but if you want…"

"I'd love nothing more. I know just what I'll do with it, too."

"And what is that?"

"You'll just have to come back and see, won't you, Miss Swan?"

"I guess so, Mr. Uley."

I returned Sam's tool belt to him and headed home. Dinner would be late for Charlie but he didn't mind after he heard that I spent the entire afternoon in La Push with Jacob and Sam. I was a bit surprised to find my bedroom empty after my shower. I went to sleep not worrying about the next day and what Edward would have to say. Instead I dreamed of La Push and the people there that were slowly taking over my heart.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Ya'll really make my day!

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

Over the next month and half, Edward and I came to an understanding more or less. I went to La Push to hang out with Sam and Jacob, separate from each other of course. And then Edward would complain and lecture me on the dangers of my actions and company. That would follow with me ignoring him and making plans for my next trip to La Push. We went through this cycle at least twice if not three or four times a week all through the summer.

As the weeks passed, I grew dependent on my days in La Push. It was a getaway for me and I loved it. I watched Jacob rebuild his Rabbit some days, and others we spent on the beach. We started to build a great friendship. Most days it was easy to forget that Jacob was two years younger, because of his responsibility for helping Billy out. I started to notice that Jacob was possibly starting to form more than friendship feelings for me. I ignored any of his subtle advances and would bring Edward up more than really needed.

As much as I enjoyed my time with Jacob, it was my time with Sam that I lived for. We continued to go back to the youth center on a regular basis. I usually stuck with the girls doing art and crafts. Sam persuaded me into playing a game of dodge ball one day and I left La Push with an injury. And it wasn't from the ball or even one of the boys, no it was from me. While trying to throw the ball with all the force I could at Sam, I dislocated my shoulder. Sam banned me from any physical activities from that point on. I happily agreed. Edward was even more annoying after finding out.

Sam and I spent time together besides with the kids, though. I grew to learn almost everything about Sam. He liked eating nuts but not if they were in his food, like cookies or brownies. He loves the color brown and strawberries are his favorite fruit. I also knew that he was a werewolf, but he didn't know that I knew. I sort of thought that he would have talked to me about it by that point about his extra curricular activities. He didn't and I would be patient and wait until he was ready.

Spending time with Sam was wonderful. He was a really a great guy and I honestly didn't understand why he was single. After I prodded one day, he talked a little bit about his high school girlfriend, Leah. She seemed like a nice girl and I didn't know why he broke up with her. I'd met her a few times over the years that I came to Forks during the summer to see Charlie. I remembered that she was even beautiful then.

One thing that did bother me was that Sam never let me meet his friends. I figured that Paul and Jared were the other two members of the wolf pack with Sam. I wanted to be involved in all parts of his life that I could. Some days it hurt that he would exclude me from that important and large part of his life. I knew that sometimes he would change our plans to make sure the other two weren't around.

* * *

It was the Sunday before my birthday that I found myself heading down to La Push. School had me not visiting as much as I had been over summer and I was anxious to get down there despite the planned agenda. Sam had constituted that Sunday would be the day that we would commemorate the awful day that was my birthday together. He was planning out the whole day and I was quite frankly worried. I pulled up to his house in my truck around ten o'clock. He was sitting on the porch waiting for me with a huge smile. He helped me out of the truck and pulled me into a timid hug. I had noticed that Sam would often stop himself from touching me unnecessarily.

"Happy early birthday, Bella," he said into my ear.

"Thanks, Sam."

"Are you ready to celebrate?" He asked releasing me.

"No, I hate acknowledging my birthday. And I hate presents and I despise surprises. And for some reason you insist on all three."

"Well, you are going to be a good girl and go along with everything I say, right?"

"Sure, sure."

"You've been spending way too much time with Jacob. You even talk like him now." I was getting really sick of hearing things like this from all the men in my life.

"Funny, he says the same thing, that I spend too much of my time with you. And then Edward says that I spend too much time in La Push with the both of you. So, do you know what I do?" He shook his head like a toddler just caught with its hand in the cookie jar. "I ignore all of you."

"Fine, I get your point. I'll shut up now and be a good boy myself. Are you ready for surprise number one?"

"No, but I'll do it anyway."

"You are so frustrating sometimes, Bella. But whatever, I need you to wear this," he said holding up a blindfold.

"Excuse me?" I did not like where this was possibly going.

"You can't see the surprise until we get there."

"You're the frustrating one, Sam. Give me that stupid thing. Never mind that I can't walk on two feet with two eyes."

He put it on me and walked me to his truck. We rode for about ten minutes before stopping. Sam then guided me out and down a path.

"Are you taking me into the woods for some tribal sacrifice?" Sam laughed out loud at me.

"No, not this time at least. We're almost there. Just trust me." We walked just a minute more before I could hear the ocean. That confused me. "Okay, we're here." He took off the blindfold.

"Oh," I yelped. We were steps away from the cliffs.

"I promised to take you cliff diving and either weather or tourist have kept us from it. And today is perfect. It is a little cold, but we'll get you warmed up after we jump."

I really wanted to jump, but actually looking down at the jump then, it looked a little scary.

"You still want to do this, right?"

"Yes, I do. It just looks a little higher from this view."

"You'll be fine, Bella. I'm here. If you want we can jump together."

"Yes, I want to do that," I said looking down again.

"Take off your shoes and socks. The rest you can change afterward."

"But I don't have anything to change into," I said taking off my socks and shoes.

"Sure you do, I brought a ton of towels with us and then I have extra clothes for you at my house."

"Sam, your clothes would swallow me whole."

"Then it's a good thing they're not my clothes then," Sam said pulling off his shirt. I couldn't help but to stare at his beautiful chest just as I did every time I had a view of it. He quite possibly had the best abs I'd ever seen.

"Ready," he asked smirking. _Damn, he caught me looking…again._

"Yep," I said looking back at his face.

He pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I put my arms around his neck, stretching to reach. He chuckled at my difficulty and lifted me up. In automatic response, my legs wrapped themselves around his torso. I didn't want to let to ever. It was like we fit perfectly together.

"On three, okay?" I nodded. "Alright, one…two…" He never said three because he was jumping us off the cliff. I screamed out of fear, but it quickly turned to excitement. Mid jump Sam yells at me, "Breathe in!"

I sucked in a greedy breath. A second later we hit the cold water. Sam quickly pulled us to the surface. I held on to him tightly and took another deep breath.

"So, what did you think?" Sam asked as he swam us to the shore.

"It was great! Can we do it again?"

"Sure, let's get back there and go."

We climbed up and jumped two more times before Sam made us stop. Apparently, it's a bad thing when you can't stop shaking or chattering your teeth. He wrapped big towels around me. As he drove us back to his house he kept me close to his side, with the warmth radiating from him. There we headed into the house to dry off and change. I went into his room to change my clothes. I looked up at the wall and smiled at the picture. It was the wolf painting from my first day at the center. He framed it and put it up on the wall in his room. I loved seeing it there, knowing that a piece of me was there and with him.

"How you doing in there?" he called out.

"These are a little big, Sam." I said coming out of the room.

"Yeah, you're a bit smaller than Kim is."

"Who?"

"Jared's impr- girlfriend."

"Oh," I said wishing I knew these people.

"What's wrong, Bella?" I shook my head. He pulled my face gently into his hands. "Bella, please tell me." I sighed not really wanting to answer.

"I just wish I knew these people. I know you spend a lot of time with them and I wish I could get to know them, too."

"Bella," he sighed, "if you really want to, then you can meet them."

"Really?"

"Yes, when do I ever deny you anything?"

"Well, there was last week when I suggested that we make the boys get involved in the arts and craft time at the youth center."

"Yeah sorry, but I'd really like to keep my man parts where they are. And that wouldn't have happened if I made a group of middle school boys decorate a box with paint and glitter."

"And that proves that you do deny me sometimes."

"Fine, I only deny you if your request have potential harmful effects to my man parts. Anything else, I would be happy to oblige to."

"Whatever, it was just a suggestion."

"Yeah a bad one, baby." We both froze. I was having a mini freak out that he called me 'baby' and he clearly didn't mean for that to come out. "I'm sorry, Bella. I don't know why I just said that. It just slipped out."

"It's fine, Sam. Don't worry about it," I said. Actually I was thinking I kind of like him calling me that. If felt right, which was weird. I thought that I'd learned to control those stray thoughts about Sam a month and half prior.

After we stood there awkwardly for a minute, Sam fixed us a nice, simple lunch. Then we stayed in for a Jane Austen movie marathon. We watched Pride and Prejudice and then Sense and Sensibility. I knew that Sam wasn't exactly enjoying the movies but the thought behind him picking them was very sweet. Plus, for me watching him squirm in his seat while enduring the movies was bonus entertainment.

After the movies finished, Sam took me to a small café called Stewart Gray Restaurant . I argued against going out for dinner, complaining that he was spending money on me. Sam simply and wordlessly picked me up, put me in the truck, and put my seat belt on. I did end up enjoying the meal. How could I not with Sam seating across from me? We rode back to his house so I could get my truck and head home.

"Before you leave, I have one final surprise for you."

"And that would be?"

"Your present." I looked at him annoyed. He just smiled. "It's not expensive, in fact I hardly spent any money on it at all," he said handing me a small box. "It's just something small."

I tore off the paper to reveal a wooden box with amazing carvings. On top was a wolf carved and on the front side was my name. I knew this was his way of tellling me about his wolf status. And with that I felt incredibly happy.

"It's beautiful, Sam. Really it's completely incredible. Where did you get this made?"

"Billy Black carved it for me. Wood isn't my medium of skill. I do better with leather. Open the box, Bella." I opened it and found an unbelievably beautiful bracelet in it. It was woven leather and on a thicker piece was some writing in Quileute.

"What does it say?" Sam gave me a sly smile.

"I'll tell you another day. Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it, Sam! It's the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen. Can you put it on me?"

"Sure," he said tying it on my left wrist. He looked up into my eyes. We were so close I could feel his breath. I wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss him in that moment. I think he felt it too. After looking at my lips he leaned in and placed a small kiss on my cheek. I felt disappointed, but I instantly chastised myself for that thought. _I'm with Edward, I shouldn't be kissing other guys. _"Happy birthday, Bella. I hope you enjoyed it."

"Thank you, Sam. For everything today, it was perfect."

"My pleasure. Be safe driving home. I'll talk to you later. Good-night, Bella."

"Good-night, Sam." Riding home I felt even more conflicted than usual. I wasn't sure how much longer I could ignore the growing feelings I had for Sam. I did know one thing, it would be very hard for Alice to top the day I just had on my actual birthday.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Ya'll really make my day!

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

The day of my actual birthday started out the same as any other. Well, almost. Charlie insisted on giving me a camera from him and a scrapbook sent from Renée. I begrudgingly accepted the gifts and left for school. I had to quickly hush Alice once I arrived at school before she blew my cover. I went through the daily motions and finally the last bell rang. Edward had dazzled Mrs. Newton into giving me the night off from work.

Edward and I spent the first part of the evening watching the original Romeo and Juliet for our English class. I knew that I didn't need to watch it, I knew the story backward and forward, but I insisted we watch it anyway. Really, I was avoiding. I was avoiding the party that Alice had planned. I was avoiding having to actually talk to Edward. I was avoiding life. I was in some serious denial. And the worst part was that I knew I was in denial and still ignored it. Here I had the most perfect man imaginable speaking all of Romeo's line in my ear and I was thinking of another guy. Sam had made me enjoy celebrating my birthday, while I avoided celebrating with the Cullen's. Sam created an entire day of simplicity and fun. Who knew what Alice would have planned? Edward brought me back to the current reality as he talked of envying Romeo and the ease of human suicide. I couldn't believe my ears when he said that he considered provoking the Volturi when he thought I was dead because of James.

"Edward, how could you even entertain that thought?"

"I won't live without you, Bella."

"That's stupid, Edward. You lived ninety years without me and you'll live many without me."

"Without you?" he asked confused

"Sure, after I die." I thought that was pretty obvious.

"Bella, I thought you wanted to be changed." I froze and then looked down confused. I hadn't realized that I planned to stay human. I never made the conscious decision; it just sort of snuck up on me. But after some thought, I become conscious of the fact that I no longer wanted to be changed. _When did that happen? _

"I did, but I guess I'm not so sure anymore."

"Can I ask what changed your mind? Not that I mind, you know I want you to stay human."

"Honestly, I don't know. I didn't even know that I wanted to stay human until just now. I haven't given it much thought lately, and I didn't realize that I changed my mind."

"Oh, well, whatever it is, I'm thankful."

"But the point is, Edward, that when I die, you can't off yourself. That would kill your family. You can't be that selfish, Edward. They need you."

"But I need you."

"Please, Edward, think if the roles were reversed. Would you want me to end my life if you died?"

"No," he said firmly.

"Exactly, so I want no overdramatic suicides, okay?"

"As you wish, Love."

Soon enough the movie ended and I reluctantly went up stairs to get ready for my party at the Cullen's house. Then, Edward dragged me to the truck. The car ride was quiet; Edward looked to be in a thinking mood. I didn't try to start up a conversation. Things were still a bit tense between us. The day after I go to La Push is always the worst. I refused to tell him what Sam and I did on Sunday for my birthday. I just didn't feel that Edward needed to know every detail of my life. Pulling into the drive, he voiced some concern.

"Please be a good sport tonight. This is the first real birthday we've gotten to celebrate in a really long time. _Everyone_ is very excited."

"Everyone?"

"Yes, Emmett and Rosalie came back from their trip to observe this day with you tonight."

"Oh, wow, they didn't need to do that."

"No, but they wanted to. Like I said this is an exciting thing for all of us. If you plan to stay human, then you should get used to making a big event of your birthday."

"I'll be good, then." Edward raised an eyebrow. "I will, I promise."

We went inside and I was immediately grabbed into a tight hug.

"Bella! Did you miss me? I missed you my little favorite human."

"Yeah, Emmett, I missed my big bear. It has been pretty quiet around here. Come to think of it, it was actually kind of nice."

"Hey, hey, hey. That's not very nice, Bella. So, what is this I hear that you are hanging out with dogs in my absence?"

"He can turn into a wolf and he is my friend. So, you will just have to get over it now because it won't be changing any time soon."

"Okay, okay. I guess I should listen now that you are officially an adult. So, what is it like to be a cougar? You know those are Eddie here's favorite to hunt."

"A cougar," I asked confused and slightly afraid of the answer.

"You know, you are now dating a younger man. Like Demi Moore. That is hott."

"Emmett," Edward said warningly.

"You guys are no fun around here. I'll be back in a minute. You, little one, better be ready to party when I get back."

"Yeah, sure, Emmett." I looked all around at the decorations. Pink petals covered nearly every surface that wasn't covered by white candles. I saw some potential fire hazards there, but I assumed that in a house full of vampires, that they could put the fire out in only a second. Edward walked us over to the couch in the living room.

"So, how was your day?" Esme asked bring me a glass of Coke.

"It was like any other day."

"Did you like your gifts from Charlie and Renée?" Alice chirped.

"Yeah, they were cool. A camera could come in handy. I brought it with me."

"Great, hand it over."

"Alice, I hate being in pictures."

"Today is an important day whether you want to admit or not, and we need documentation." Alice snapped a few photos. I needed to change the topic of focus.

"So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, I have a few things planned, but first is dinner."

So, I sat down at the very little used dining room table. Esme had prepared a wonderful dinner. She roasted a rack of lamb with fondant potatoes and English peas. I wasn't that hungry but I ate as much as I could. The thought was sweet, but I hated eating with any of the Cullen's around. It felt very uncomfortable eating in front of seven people who didn't eat. Thankfully, they at least kept the conversation going. Rose and Emmett talked about their travels. I finished and Edward took my plate to the kitchen. The rest of us went into the living room.

"Thank you, Esme, it was great. So, did you have anything else planned, Alice?"

"Yes, well do you remember over the summer when you asked if we had any games and we didn't but we do now," Alice said cheerfully.

"What games?" I asked cautiously. This idea seemed too normal.

"I bought Monopoly, the clerk said it was a classic, and Pictionary, which looks fun, then there is Scrabble, which can help you prepare for the SAT's, and lastly Battle of the Sexes." This actually sounded like something I could enjoy.

"I don't think any of those will be very fair." Emmett griped as he reentered the house.

"What?" Alice asked annoyed.

"You can see ahead to know the answers or where the dice will roll, and Edward can pick the answers out of anyone's head. The two of you can cheat, just like you two do in any game. That is the reason that we have never owned any board games like these."

"Emmett, this is Bella's night, and we will play a game. You will participate enthusiastically and without anymore whining."

"Oh, I am so scared of the tiny pixie," Emmett said fake shivering. Alice's bottom lip was pushed out and her eyes were narrowed at the lovable giant.

"Rose," Alice said never looking away from Emmett.

"Just give in, you big lug. You know she won't give up."

"But babe, they cheat. And I hate losing."

"What if we play Pictionary or even Battle of the Sexes and Edward and Alice are on different teams. That way no team would have an advantage," I suggested.

"Then we would never have a winner because both teams would always get the question right," Jasper answered me.

"Oh," I said not seeing a way for this to work. Who knew it could be so difficult to play a silly board game.

"You just had to say something didn't you, Emmett. Now the night is ruined," Alice exclaimed dramatically.

"No, it's not. Let's just skip the games and move on to whatever you have planned next," I said trying to hide my dejectedness.

"Okay, then, it's time for cake!" Alice said as she bounced over to the table with a huge cake and a stack of plates.

"What's up with the mountain of cake and plates? We only need one plate and there is no way I can eat that much cake. You should have just gotten a cupcake or something small." It was such a waste of food. I didn't even have that big of a sweet tooth plus, I'd just had dinner.

"That's nonsense, Bella. You deserve a magnificent cake; even if you're the only one to enjoy it." _I bet Sam would enjoy it with me._ The thought escaped before I fully processed it. I shook it off and focused on the family I was with. Clearly, Alice didn't understand the concept of having anything other than the best.

"Alright, we'll what are the rest of you going to do while I eat?"

"We'll wait for you to finish and then we'll all do present time." I groaned. Neither part of that sentence sounded appealing.

"Can you guys not watch me eat again? That kind of freaks me out when you do." I hated when they all watched me eat. I felt like an animal on display at the zoo. Seriously, one meal of them watching me was enough for one day.

"Oh, well I guess, we can step out if that makes you more comfortable, Bella," Esme answered.

"You know what? Why don't we do gifts first and then I can take my slice up to Edward's room after we've finished."

"That sounds reasonable," Carlisle agreed.

"Okay, it's present time!" Alice chimed as she brought over a pile of presents. I was really only expecting to get one that came from all of them together.

"Alice," I whined.

"Edward and I did not spend any money on you as you requested. But the other family members did spend a little and you are going to graciously accept the presents that they so thoughtfully bought you." I rolled my eyes. I sometimes wondered how a house full of such drama queens could live peacefully together.

"Fine," I agreed.

"Great, here is the first one. It is from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jazz." I took it from her and ripped off the wrapping. I came to find a box with a bunch of numbers and electronic words.

"It's a working radio for the truck," Edward explained.

"And it's already installed," Emmett added with a wink. _Great! _"So, no taking it back, Bella."

"Thanks guys, really. I'm sure that Edward will really appreciate it." Everyone laughed and Alice handed me another perfectly wrapped present.

"This one is from Carlisle and Esme." I carefully tore threw the paper on the box. I uncovered a long, rectangular, white box. I opened it to see plane tickets to Jacksonville.

"Oh, wow. This is great. I've wanted to go see Renée for while. This is just so perfect. Thank you both so much." I was floored it was too much, but I knew better than to argue. I hugged them both.

"I am really wishing that I'd known that you could be so open and reasonable about accepting a gift. I would have bought you something."

"I didn't want you to get me anything."

"Well, this one is from Edward and me."

"I thought you just said that you didn't get me anything. That was the agreement."

"No, Love, we didn't _buy_ you anything. Alice helped me to create something for you, but we didn't spend a penny."

"Okay then, hand it over, Alice." I opened the small present. "Ouch," I said as I felt the paper slice my finger. "Paper cut." Before I had time to register what was happening, I was flying through the air and landing on the table that held the cake. I screamed in pain as the glass plates broke around me, cutting into my arm. I shut my eyes tightly, willing the pain away. I felt a cold hand cradle my arm.

"You're okay, Bella. This doesn't look to be too bad." I heard Carlisle say in a calm, professional manner.

"What happened?" It took a second for him to answer me.

"Jasper's control lapsed when he smelled your blood. Edward tried to get you out of the way and pushed you too hard. Emmett and Edward took Jasper outside to get some fresh air. The girls needed to leave because of the blood."

"Oh." _Of course my human nature would be to blame. I guess we would all need to get used to this since I decided to stay human._

"Don't start blaming yourself, Bella."

"You know me too well, Carlisle."

He picked me up bridal style and started to carry me to the kitchen, only to be stopped by a voice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Oh my, the reviews were really great to read this past chapter, so thanks!! You guys did such an amazing job reviewing that I got this out earlier than I expected to. By the way, many of you guessed the voice correctly. I'll shut up now and let you read, and I'll go back to actively babysitting my nephew instead of letting the television do it for me.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

"Get your filthy, dead hands off of her, leech." My eyes snapped up to see a shirtless, shaking Sam at the front door.

"Sam?" I didn't know why he was here.

"Bella, can you please tell me why you're bleeding right now?"

"There was an accident. I fell on some plates."

"Everything is being taken care of, _dog,_" Edward hissed walking into the living room.

"Really, that's why she's hurt and bleeding in a house full of bloodsuckers."

"She'll be fine. Carlisle will take care of her."

"I'll take her to the hospital," Sam growled.

"That's not needed, Sam. I can take care of her here," Carlisle said.

"Hand her over, or I'll have my brothers help me take her."

"She is with her family, and we will care for her."

"Family? Let me guess, her _family_ tried to attack her."

"It was an accident," Edward hissed at Sam.

"She'll be killed around you. She doesn't belong here with your family."

"And what, she belongs with you and a pack of mutant wolves." Sam's eyes flickered to mine. "She already knows what you are," Edward answered Sam's unspoken worries.

"Bella," Sam said wearily.

"I know, Sam, and I don't care. It doesn't matter to me what any of you are."

"So, if you don't mind, we'll take care of her and you can go," Edward said coldly.

"I'm not going anywhere without Bella."

"She doesn't belong with you, _mutt_! Just leave."

"Over my dead body," Sam growled.

"That can be arranged," Edward hissed back.

"Edward!" I yelled.

"He has been a nuisance for way too long," was Edward's response. Sam growled back at Edward. "Let's go outside then." Sam took another look at me and went outside.

"What's happening? Edward, don't do this. Please," I begged.

"Sorry, Love, this needs to be done," he said before disappearing out the door. I struggled against Carlisle to get down but he held tight.

"Bella, I need to attend to your wound."

"But they're going to kill each other. I can't let that happen. Put me down." He reluctantly let me down and I ran for the front yard. My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me. Edward was crouching in front of a horse sized wolf. And not just any wolf, a black as night wolf just like in my painting.

"Sam?" I asked mystified. The wolf turned to look at me and nodded his head.

"Let's get this over with, _mongrel_," Edward ridiculed.

"No, don't! Edward, why are you doing this?"

"He can't have you, Bella. You're mine."

"I belong to no one, Edward. I'm not a piece of property you can own."

"That's not what I meant, Bella. Of course I don't own you, love," he said smoothly in his velvet voice. Sam growled some more. "Shut up, _mutt_! This is none of your concern." I saw Sam look at me, but I could see Edward focused on Sam with furious eyes. I could only assume Sam was speaking to Edward through his thoughts, though I had no idea what he could possibly be saying. "That's not true, you're lying. She wouldn't do that…" _I wouldn't do what? _I hated not know what was being said. "I'm her future, she fits in with us," Edward growled. Sam continued to silently, at least on the outside, stare at me. "She wants this life, she wants this family...... I don't know..... That's not it. She doesn't feel anything." _What? I am so confused. _"No!" Edward roared before lunging at Sam. Sam moved just in time to escape Edward's grips. They started to circle one another, both growling.

"Stop, please," I begged, neither acknowledged my cry. Edward went for Sam's shoulder and ripped into his fur. Sam yelped before snapping at Edward's leg. I heard two deep growls behind me. I whipped around to see two more wolves, one grey and one brown. Sam growled louder. I turned back to see them Sam and Edward still circling on another. The two wolves held there position behind me. From the corner of my eye I saw Emmett step forward.

"No, this is solely between him and me. Stay back, Emmett," Edward called out.

"No fair. We never get to have any of the fun," Emmett whined.

"Shut up, you buffoon," Rosalie said slapping Emmett's arm.

"Someone stop them!" I yelled, not believing that everyone was just watching like the fight was on television. If they ate food, I wouldn't have been surprised if the popcorn was pulled out.

"Edward, this is childish. We should resolve whatever issues there are more civilly," Carlisle spoke.

"I won't let him take her from me."

"Don't you think it's Bella's choice?" Carlisle asked.

"He'll poison her mind with lies," Edward said glaring at Sam. "Me? I only tell her the truth. And that is more than you can say, _dog_. " Sam barred his teeth at Edward. "You may have never directly lied, but you have left out many important things. If I do that, it is only to protect her. You only protect yourself."

"I don't need protecting! I am not a child," I yelled. When would he get that?

"Yes, you do, love." I went to refute, but Edward spoke again before I got the chance. "What? No, that's not possible. Stop thinking that! You're wrong, you don't- Argh," Edward yelled as he sprung at Sam.

I screamed as the made contact. The noise was awful. I could hear the boom followed quickly by a crunch. Sam was limping, one of his front legs hurt. Edward took the opportunity to claw at Sam's side, leaving a trail of blood. Sam latched onto Edward's leg, but left only bite marks after Edward dug his hand into Sam's underbelly. I heard the black wolf whimper for only second before he snapped at Edward's arm, ripping it from the shoulder socket. I gasped as Edward roared in pain.

Sam threw the arm behind him like it was yesterday's trash. Edward crouched down before launching himself back at Sam, teeth bared. I couldn't take much more. Edward was missing an arm, and Sam was dripping with blood. I collapsed to the ground, hiding my face in my hands. I couldn't hold in the sobs that racked my body. One, if not both of them were going to die, I just knew it. I wouldn't be able to live if one of them died. Cold arms wrapped around me. I looked through my fingers to see Alice looking at me with sadness and concern.

"Edward, stop. It's useless. You're only making matters worse," she said calmly.

"No, Alice, I won't give her up."

"She's not yours to give up, Edward. Not anymore."

"I refuse to believe that, Alice. You're wrong. Your visions can change."

"Not this one. It's set. Anyway I look at things, it ends the same. I can't see Bella anymore. She's gone." _Gone? I'm right here. Does that mean I die?_

"No," Edward cried before falling to his knees. He looked so broken, both physically and mentally. Sam sat on his back legs. His eyes stayed trained on Edward in case the fight resumed. Edward slowly turned to look at me, "What happened, love, why?" I didn't understand the question. I shook my head to upset and confused to find words. "Why am I not enough?"

"What? Edward, I don't-" I started to say and it hit me. Alice couldn't see me when I was with Sam, or in La Push. _If I'm gone, as in gone from her visions permanently, does that mean I'm in La Push or with Sam permanently?_ I added that thought with Edward's questions. _I'm leaving him. I'm leaving Edward for Sam._

I should have seen it weeks if not months ago, that that was where my life was heading. I'd felt the deep attraction to Sam from the first moment I saw him. Over the past months, I'd grown to value my time with him above any other. Edward had become a habit, a routine, a way of life. Being with him was familiar and seemed right, even if I wasn't completely happy and content. I had made my mind up that he was my future and ignored any other possibility. When I met Sam, I automatically put him in the friend only category, because the boyfriend role was already filled. I never thought about the fact that Sam may have indeed been the better choice for that position. I almost completely missed the path where my life should have gone. Was that what I really wanted?

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just- It all happened without me ever acknowledging it. I mean-" _What do I mean? _I wasn't sure what to say to him. At one point I was convinced that I wanted to spend forever with him and now I didn't want him at all. Or maybe I did, but just as a friend. I wanted to reverse Sam and Edward's roles. I knew that it wasn't that easy. That was the selfish thing to wish for. It would hurt Edward even more. _Is Sam really what I want? I think he is. Or do I just not want Edward. I'm so confused. I just need time to think to myself, with only myself. _"I need to go. I need time to think. Time to process things. I can't be here anymore. I'm sorry," I said heading for my truck. I reached for the handle and gasped in pain. I had forgotten about my arm. I heard a whine behind me. I turned to see Sam looking at me with pleading eyes.

"He doesn't think you should drive alone," Edward said without emotion, not even taking his hands from his face. "And neither do I. Please, let someone drive you to the hospital, if you aren't going to let Carlisle take care of your arm here." I knew the easy thing would be for Carlisle to fix my arm up, but I didn't want to there anymore. I needed space to think and being surrounded by the entire Cullen family, minus Jasper, who was probably moping or hitting things somewhere, and three horse sized wolves, was not ideal thinking space. So I was leaving for the hospital, now only to decide who was driving me.

"Could you please drive me to the emergency room, Rosalie?"

"Me?" She asked seriously confused. Everyone looked confused. I had my reasons and I wasn't sharing them. She took a second to recover. "I mean, sure, Bella."

She walked over to the truck and opened the door; I climbed in with my good arm and slid over to the passenger side. She glided behind the wheel and started the truck up. We pulled down the drive, not saying any good byes. I would have to face both Edward and Sam eventually. I just wanted to know exactly what I was going to say before I did so.

"May I inquire why you asked me to chauffer you?"

"You won't sugar coat things for me. You're honest and blunt. You don't baby me like Alice or Edward. You don't soft the blow of things like Carlisle or Esme. And you won't make an inappropriate joke as Emmett would. The choice would be between you and Jasper, and obviously he isn't a good option at the moment what with me bleeding over here."

"All makes sense. So does this mean you want my opinion on things?" I took second to think. I did want to know what she was thinking. But I wasn't sure if my brain could currently handle it, whatever it was at the present time.

"Why not?" I answered. At least then I would have more to consider before I spoke with Edward or Sam.

"I think that the dog stinks like nothing else I've ever smelled before," I looked at her questioningly. I wasn't sure how that would help me. "But I also think that he would be a slightly, and I do mean slightly better choice for you than my brother. I know that Edward loves you and that he always will. But this is about you, not him. Therefore I have to say the best option for you is to stay human and be with this Sam."

"Why? Why would you pick a 'dog' over a vampire?"

"Bella, you don't know my story. It's probably best that you don't, it's not a happy story, not at all. I didn't choose this life, none of us did. Short story, I was left for dead by my fiancé, Carlisle changed me after he found me on the street. I'll never get the life I dreamed of since I was a little girl. I longed to have a family and raise children. As much as I love Emmett, I would trade this existence to know the feeling of carrying a life inside of me. I'm sorry for always coming off so cold to you, but I hated and detested you for wanting to actually _choose_ this life. You get the chance at life and family and children and growing old, and you were going to choose wrong."

"So for you it isn't about Edward or Sam, it's about life or whatever it is that vampires have?"

"I guess, yes, that is what it boils down to. Obviously this Sam has strong feelings for you to go against Edward and to break the treaty."

"Wait, what? The treaty?"

"Well, yes, coming onto our land, breaks the treaty technically."

"What does that mean?"

"Knowing Carlisle, it means absolutely nothing. He'll refrain from further fighting if able to. Anyway, either man would cherish you and love you. So it comes down to two things: life and death, and then who makes you _happier. _I know you love Edward, and it seems that you have something more with the dog. So who are you most happy with? Who do you think about all the time, even when you are with the other? Who do you see your future with?"

I knew the answer. It was easy. It was Sam. It had always been Sam. I was just too blinded by Edward to see it before. Or maybe subconsciously I knew Sam would stay a friend and I could keep him and La Push, even if I was with Edward as long as I stayed human. But if I made more with Sam, I knew that Edward would not turn into only a friend, therefore making me lose him and the rest of the Cullen family for good. It was easier to ignore the painstakingly obvious answer so I could keep everyone in my life.

"I don't want to lose the family."

"Do you really think Alice would go easily? I can already hear Emmett moping if we were to leave his favorite human without further contact. I'm not sure how things would work out, Bella. I'm not sure if Edward would still come around and be friends with you. I can tell you that if every other member of the family has any say, you won't be losing us, not permanently. Don't make that your deciding factor. This could be the most important decision of your life, don't make it about anyone other than yourself."

"I want Sam, but I still want Edward in my life as well. I'm selfish and awful. I don't deserve either one of them."

"Everyone is selfish. There's no such thing as selflessness. There are always underlying reasons behind every little thing that we do. Edward is probably at home strategizing in his head ways to convince you to stay with him. Not because it is what's best for you, but because it's what he wants. Bella, being with Edward would force you to lose so much."

"But I don't know that I want children."

"You may not now, but what about in years to come when the option is no longer there."

"Maybe," I said still not sold on the children idea. I certainly wasn't going to make having them my deciding factor. At this point, most would have concluded that Sam was the only real choice, but I was more stubborn than that. It seemed like an impossible thing to leave Edward. I was so sure he was my future that I already started planning my life with him and the Cullen family. Letting go of that was just so hard after everything I'd been through with them.

"Bella, we're at the hospital," Rosalie said softly. I got out and went inside. The admitting nurse wasn't very shocked to see me. It wasn't long after sitting down that I was called back. Dr. Gerandy fixed up my arm with eleven stitches. It was ten o'clock when I was all done, but I wasn't ready to go home. I walked aimlessly around the hospital for awhile before finding not only myself, but Rosalie in front of the nursery.

"I come by when I visit Carlisle. I feel almost human looking at them. More peaceful. Cute, aren't they?" she asked. I nodded looking at the tiny beings of new life. We stood quietly, lost in both of our own thoughts.

I was right Rosalie was honest in her opinions. And she was right in everything she had to say. I did want to grow old and I had never really put too much stock in children, but I also knew that they weren't an option with Edward. So knowing that I happily traded children for Edward, but what about now that my options have grown?

I tried to imagine children with Sam, and it was almost too easy. Me standing on a back porch, watching two raven-haired children running around the yard, strong, bronze arms wrapping around my swollen belly. I looked so happy, and my children were beautiful. I wanted the picture in my head, I wanted that life. Children seemed like the right thing, like the wonderful path if Sam was by my side.

Alice's visions were right. I would disappear from her radar, because I couldn't ignore my heart any longer. I knew who I meant to be with, or at least I thought I did. I wanted a life with Sam, though much would need to be discussed. I knew next to nothing about his wolf ways and what Sam being one would mean for us as a couple. There would be a lot to figure out, but I wanted to make the effort to be with him. Now I just had to figure out what to say to everyone. I pulled my eyes away from the clear glass and started back to the truck. Before I turned the corner I paused and called back to Rose.

"Thanks, for everything."

"Happy to help. I'll keep my thoughts to myself until after you've spoken to Edward." I nodded, grateful for the gesture. I don't really remember the drive home; I mechanically let myself into the house and walked up the stairs. I was grateful that Charlie was already in bed. I collapsed on my bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So there are still many things unresolved or answered. Why was Sam there? Well at this point only him, the pack, Edward, and of course me, know. No worries, you will be included in on the secret next chapter. I do want to know what you all thought of using Rosalie like I did. It was a gamble, but I thought she would be the most neutral person for Bella to talk to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Oh, how I love my readers! I got more reviews last chapter than any other. I guess you really liked the idea of Edward leaving. I hope that those of you, who celebrate Christmas, had a good one. And now on with the story.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I woke up sore, tired and confused. Too much had happened. I knew I couldn't avoid the drama that was my life, but it sounded so tempting. My emotions were wearing on me, plus my arm was killing me. I thought about skipping school, but decided that staying at home lost in my thoughts would not be good for my mental health. Sluggishly, I took three ibuprofen pills, got ready and drove to school.

Once I arrived I made my way to class, avoiding Jessica and the rest of the gang. I was sitting at my desk, doodling on the notebook in front of me. I looked down to see that I had doodled a wolf. _Sam. _I needed to speak with him. I needed to know everything, the whole story. I was getting lost in my thoughts, while staring at the doodle. It didn't hit me until I saw Edward walk through the door, that we shared this class together. I shut the folder quickly, not wanting him to see my wolf sketch. After he sat I remember that we had _every _class together. And not just that, but we sat next to each other in each class. _Great, there goes avoiding thoughts about what to do about Edward._

"Bella, how are you?" he said politely.

"Fine, Edward," I answered simply.

"How are you feeling? Is your arm okay today?"

"It's fine, Dr. Gerandy did a good job. I see yours is fine as well."

"Well, that's nice to hear. And yes, Carlisle…reattached it. Lucky that's possible. It might have been hard to explain one arm missing to the other students," he said with a small, nervous chuckle. I looked him dead in the eyes.

"Yeah, it might have been," I said blandly, just before the bell rang. I turned away from him and focused on the board. For the rest of our classes, I tried to focus on my text books or the board, or talk small talk with whoever was near my seat. At lunch time, I decided to avoid the awkward meal, and head to the library. I spent the hour reading through Romeo and Juliet again. Reading it I realized that it wasn't a romance, but a tragedy. The only way I could have ended up with Edward was to live my own tragedy. And I had already decided that I wanted to live, I wanted to embrace what life had to offer. I wouldn't find that with Edward. With him I would only find death and heartbreak.

The school day ended and was grateful that it was Friday. I drove home and sat in the drive before deciding what needed to be done. The sooner the better, the truth needed to be said. I couldn't go into my house and be a coward, too afraid to say what I felt. I put the car in gear and drove down the familiar road. I thought about the things I needed to say to him. When I arrived, he was already waiting outside for me on the porch. I climbed out and walked toward him.

"Can we take a walk and talk a bit?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. We walked a little ways into the woods. I stumbled on a tree root and he caught me before I could fall to the ground.

"Thanks. This is far enough, I guess, before I injury myself."

"Alright, Bella," he solemnly.

"Look, Edward, you know that I love you..."

"But that's not enough for you any longer. I'm not enough for you anymore," he said emotionless.

"Edward, I want a normal life. I want to have children maybe and grow old with the one I love. I don't want to lose Charlie and Renee. I don't want to feel out of place in your family. I love you all, but I don't really fit in properly. I want to belong. I want to be an equal to my husband, I don't want to feel as if I don't deserve what I have. I've always felt like you had all the power, because you're perfect, and I am far from it. You once said that I was like a drug for you, but really it's the other way around. I feel addicted to you, Edward. That's not healthy. I don't want to lose you out of my life, but you shouldn't be the focus of it either. I should come first in my own life. I really hope that you and the rest of the family will continue to stay in my life regardless of our relationship status."

"I wouldn't take them from you. Not that they would let me. They love you, Bella, just as much as I do."

"Thank you," I said quietly. He was being almost too calm about this all. I was afraid he might randomly explode in anger. It would have been easier to take the yelling right on, the calmness frightened me.

"Does this mean that you'll be with Sam now?" I was surprised at his forwardness. If I was in the same position as him, I don't think I would have wanted to know.

"No, I don't know what's going on there. He's my friend. Like I hope that you'll be."

"We'll see. I may need a bit of time to myself. But I will try, Bella. Being friends is better than nothing. I'm not sure how I could live without you knowing that you're out there."

"I can understand that. Thank you for being so understanding of everything, Edward."

"I've told you before that I am in your life as long as you want me. If it's friends that you want to be, I'll do my best."

"Good, because I don't think I could live without you either. I never wanted to hurt you, Edward. I want you to be happy. I think you can find that with someone else, maybe someone more like yourself."

"Perhaps. I should be going. I might be gone for a week or so to think about things. But I'll see you soon, Bella."

"Bye, Edward." I felt sad seeing him leave, but I knew it was the right decision. My path in life had changed, and Edward was not able to go down my new path with me. Perhaps the only person that could was Sam.

* * *

I drove into the small res, passing by the Black's home, and onto Sam's. I wasn't sure if he would be home, but it was where I would start my search. I wasn't sure where exactly to look for a werewolf, though I wasn't going to let that stop me. I pulled up to his house, and saw that his truck was in the drive. I sighed in relief, hoping that meant he was home. I got out of the truck and walked up to the door. I knocked on the door and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I sighed in disappointment and turned to leave when the door opened. I looked back and saw my Sam looking awful.

"Sam? What happened?" I asked taking in his appearance. His hair looked disheveled, his eyes were red and swollen, and his face unshaved.

"Bella," he breathed out unbelieving.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"I am now."

"What?"

"I didn't think I would see you again. I assumed you would hate me."

"Why would I hate you, Sam?"

"Well, I lied to you for the past couple of months first off."

"You had a personal secret that you didn't feel I deserved to know, that's your business and your decision. I have no right to be made at you for that. Look, can I come in so we can talk?"

He shook his head, "Of course, sorry. I didn't mean to make you stand in the drizzle."

"It's okay," I said walking through the door. I stepped into the familiar living room to see a pyramid of beer cans.

"Oh, I'm sorry, again. I was trying to drown my sorrows in beer, and well, it takes an awful lot to get me drunk."

"You really thought I would push you out of my life," I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I did," he said picking up the cans and taking them to the kitchen. I followed him in there.

"Sam, I already told you that I don't care about what mythical creatures people are. It doesn't matter to me. You are all people to me based on _who _you are, rather than _what_ you are."

"You're too understanding, Bella. Did you not see me rip his arm off? I wanted him dead." That reminded me of Sam's own injuries. I walked over to him quickly.

"I did see, and I've seen it reattached, so no harm done. But what about you? Are you okay? There was a lot of blood yesterday." I looked over him, checking for any injuries or cuts, but I found none.

"I'm fine, I heal fast."

"Part of the werewolf thing?" He nodded. "Okay, so now that you know that I know, can you explain it to me a little better? I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

"Sure, I'll tell you anything. Where do you want me to begin?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about the beginning?" I said lightly. He gave me a small smile.

"Okay, but from the beginning is a long story."

"Well, it's a good thing it's Friday night and I don't have a curfew any longer, what with being eighteen and all."

We sat down on the couch. I pulled my feet under me and got comfortable. I could see Sam trying to collect his thoughts before he began.

"I guess it really started in February, a couple of weeks after I turned eighteen. I started to notice that I was growing taller and more muscles. At first I thought I was letting it get to my head, that I wasn't really growing that much. But then Leah started to take notice too. Then I knew I wasn't crazy. I mean what eighteen year old hits a growth spurt of four inches in three months. It was unreal. I thought nothing of it, just went on with my life. I wanted to make something of myself, move past the bad rep that was my father. I got a full ride to Washington State and I was pretty excited about it. I thought life was just as it should be. Scholarship to college, a great girlfriend that would wait for me to finish school, and then we would get married after I returned."

"So why did you break up with her then?"

"During the summer, we spent a lot of time together knowing that me going across the state wouldn't allow us that luxury anymore. Half way through the summer, I grew some more, I started getting hotter in temperature." He stopped for a second before continuing. "One day, I got mad, it was stupid. Leah and I were hanging out on First Beach. All was good until she started talking about quitting school and coming with me to Pullman. She had a year to go in high school and she hated that I was leaving her behind. I think she was scared that I would find someone new. Being on the res, your choices are limited, but in college, the possibilities would have been endless. I wouldn't have done that to her, but it worried her nonetheless. We went back and forth for a few minutes, but it just infuriated me that she would give up her education, her future just to ensure I didn't leave her. Leah is strong than that, more independent. That was one reason I loved her so much. It killed me that she would give everything up for me, for a guy. I knew she was better than that. I didn't want to take her dreams."

"That doesn't sound like a stupid fight at all, Sam."

"Maybe not, but I overreacted. Perhaps it wasn't all me, maybe the wolf inside was just ready to come out. Anyway, a wolf's first phase or change is triggered by a strong dose of anger or emotion. I started to shake and I knew in my gut that I was going to explode. Though, I didn't know that it would happen physically. I thought that I would explode in anger and say or do something I would later regret. So I ran. I ran from Leah into the woods just past the beach. I didn't get far before the pain crippled me and I exploded, literally. I looked down and saw black fur covering paws that seemed to being coming out of me where my arms used to be. I freaked out completely. I did a few spins, getting a better view of myself. Then I ran some more, only this time in wolf form and ultra fast. If I wasn't so freaked out, it would have been cool. I stayed like that for a month. At first I just ran and ran until I was so worn out that I collapsed from exhaustion. After a few weeks away, I made my way back to La Push. I didn't know why, I just really didn't have anywhere else to go. So I went back and just sort of hung out in the woods of La Push. Eventually Harry found me. He was yelling my name out and telling me to be a good little wolf and come to him. I guess that was his way of letting me know he knew what I was, and that it was okay. Long story shorter, he explained things to me, while I was in wolf form, and he helped me phase back. After a long talk with all the Elders I started to understand. No, WSU was in my future. I needed to stay here in La Push."

"But why? Why couldn't they let you have college?"

"Bella, I am what I am to protect my tribe. I couldn't run away from that, even if it would have been the easier thing to do. Anyway, I learned to patrol and protect the tribe. It was about eight months later when the next wolf phased, Paul. A week later it was Jared."

"James," I muttered. That would have been right when James, Victoria, and Laurent came through Forks.

"Who?" he asked confused.

"A different story for another time, I suppose. Today is about your little secrets. I'll tell you mine another day." He narrowed his eyes a little at me, but then relaxed them.

"Alright, I guess that at least means you plan to see me past today." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I do, Sam. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Good. Where was I? Oh yeah, Paul and Jared. So throughout this time I continued to date Leah. I wasn't allowed to tell her anything, which in the beginning produced some major fights, but we moved past them. Things were a little tense but fine." I was getting confused, so I interrupted him.

"I don't see how this relates to Paul and Jared joining the pack."

"I'm getting there little miss impatient," he chuckled lightly. "After missing spring break and a week of school, Jared and Paul both returned to the Tribal school. Jared sat down in one of his classes and looked over to the seat next to him and locked eyes with Kim Connweller. One look was all it took for his life to be completely altered. I guess you could call it love at first sight, sort of. Complete love and devotion at first sight after the first phasing is a little more correct. It's called imprinting, and it's finding your soul mate," he said gulping. "It's all encompassing, all ties are made to this one girl and the rest of the world no longer matters. At least not in comparison to the girl. The wolf can't see another woman after seeing his imprint. She makes up every thought, hope, and dream. He can't live without her. He'd do anything for her, be anything she needed."

"That sounds pretty powerful. I'm still not seeing the connection to Leah, though."

"I didn't have that with Leah. Imprinting was thought to be a legend, something not real. Which is pretty stupid of us, I mean, we thought our ancestors turning into giant wolves was unreal, too. Getting back to the point, I didn't want to risk hurting Leah like that. It was thought to be rare after we finally accepted it to be true, but I didn't want to take that chance. I cared about Lee-Lee too much to hurt her like that. What if we got married or even had kids and one day I looked into the eyes of another woman and found my soul mate? I couldn't even imagine doing that to her. So I did the only thing I thought I could do, I broke up with her before it could all happen."

"You were protecting her, even though it hurt you both." He nodded. "And she doesn't have a clue why?"

"None, I just told her that I wasn't ready for a commitment. I was too young to settle down, that wasn't one hundred percent about us having a future. I left it vague, never really picking out just one reason, but throwing out many, hoping she would latch onto one of them. She was pissed, of course. I would expect her to after us dating for almost four years." Sam took a deep breath. I could tell he hated that he had to hurt her, even if it was for her own good. "So what next? Being a wolf was a little easier in some ways after the boys phased. I didn't have to be alone in this fucked up life. Also I didn't have to patrol as much, as I had help. But then again it got harder. I didn't have Leah anymore to go to at the end of the day. I had two boys younger than me to look after. More responsibility. Then I went over to Billy's house for a bar-b-que. And my life forever changed." I couldn't help thinking that it was that day that my life forever changed, too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. I was thinking of doing the next chapter in Sam's POV. It would be of him recapping everything that happened over the last few months since first imprinting on Bella. Depending on the length, it may actually take up two chapters; it is a lot that happened. So let me know if you would like to read Sam's POV or Bella's POV of him telling her like in this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the great reviews. Sorry this is so late. I had to pack, then drive back to school, then unpack. I then spent the next day running errands and going to three different bookstores just to get all the textbooks I needed. Why they can't all be at one location is beyond me. And at this moment, I am in four layers of clothing and under five blankets. Yesterday while running errands the pipes froze at my house in the middle of the day! And now I have no water or heat. I'm a Florida girl through and through, and the 30 degree weather is killing me with no heat. It's really hard to type when you're fingers feel like ice popsicles. Anyway, my dad is currently driving the 3 hour drive from back home to help me out, or at least to bring the portable space heaters. What I wouldn't give to have a werewolf of my own to warm me up.

Anyway, back to the story. I know most of you wanted Sam, but a few were worried about there being no new material. Some is old, just from Sam's POV, but there is new stuff too, so don't skip over this chapter. Enjoy and I hope you are all warmer than me.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I stood in my wolf form watching Bella get in her truck with the blonde leech. I whined trying to tell her I wanted her to stay, to let me help, to let me be with her. She still left and I ran. I ignored the thoughts of Paul and Jared. I just wanted to go home and pretend today hadn't happened. My worst fears had nearly come true. She knew what I was and she didn't want anything to do with me.

Earlier that day I was trying to not think about Bella being in the bloodsucker's house for her birthday. I was hanging out with the guys and Kim trying to distract myself when I felt the extreme pain in my arm. Immediately I knew my imprint was hurt. Without thinking I jumped up and ran into the woods phasing, ripping my clothes to pieces. Of course Paul and Jared were close behind, wondering what had caused their Alpha to up and leave like I did. I thought going to save her was the right thing to do. It was my instinct to protect her. Leaving the Cullen's, I wasn't so sure. She trusted them, maybe I should have thought it through more before slamming through their front door.

When I reached the woods behind my house I phased and made a quick dash for the back door. I walked to my room and threw on a pair of old cut offs. For a minute I pondered the best thing to do to forget that Bella had seen me as a monster. That she'd walked away from me. I walked into the kitchen to find my refrigerator was empty of beer or any other alcoholic beverage. I threw on a pair of shoes and hopped into my truck. A quick drive and I was in front of the res general store. Checking out, I carried my two twenty-four packs of beer. The cashier told me to enjoy my party with my buddies. I snorted. I guess she didn't realize from the dead look on my face that it was a pity party for one.

Getting home, I opened my first can before even reaching the door. I pulled out six cans and set them on the table, taking the rest to the fridge. I sat down on the couch and started to drink the pain away. Bella walking away hurt like a thousand needles all stuck in my back. The rejection was impossible to handle. A million questions ran through my head. _Has she gone back to her leech? Did she really mean it when she said it didn't matter what I was? Did she love me at all? Would I ever get to see her again? Is her arm okay? How is she doing? What is she thinking?_ I didn't hold much hope of seeing her again or getting any of my answers.

I started thinking back over the memories of us together. That day at Billy's bar-b-que was the best day of my life. Originally I wasn't pleased to her that the leech lover was invited but that all changed with one look into her eyes. I envied Jacob Black as he hugged her, talked to, and stood so close to her. I wanted to go and rip the kid to pieces when he took her to his secluded garage, where I could not longer see her. The only comfort I had was being about to hear her heartbeat. It didn't take long for Billy to give me a knowing smile. I don't know how that man seems to know everything. I was grateful for his intervention to get Charlie to hire me, and then for Bella to cook.

If imprinting was the best day of my life, spending the day doing home repairs with Bella was a close second. I may not have seen what she saw in the bloodsucker, but I knew why he would want her. She was perfect in a non-perfect way. I didn't let the leech showing up ruin my day as a whole. It was sad that I didn't get to spend the following day with my Bella, but the next couple of months were almost heaven. They would have been heaven if I could have been Bella's boyfriend.

I went to the fridge and brought out the rest of the first case. I settled back into my seat again.

But no, Bella didn't need a boyfriend; she, unfortunately, already had one. So I was the best friend I could be, but even then I had to compete with Jacob. I hated having to share my imprint with so many others. Jared didn't see how I could stand it without trying to rip the bloodsucker apart, or at least tell Jacob to shove it. Paul thought I was stupid and whipped. Stupid for imprinting on a leech lover and for not just claiming what was mine. He didn't understand that Bella wasn't a toy to take and piss on for ownership. Whipped for being Bella's little bitch. I did anything and everything she wanted, for the most part, and as Paul would say, I wasn't even 'tapping that'.

I was a guy and I just turned twenty-one, so of course I thought of sex. Though, I certainly wasn't having it, at least not since I broke up with Leah. It really didn't help when I could see Jared sleeping with Kim and Paul with whatever girl would let him. I hated thinking that Bella could be fucking the leech. I didn't think she was, but just the thought alone freaked me out.

I started thinking back to a few days before, Sunday. The day I celebrated Bella's birthday with her. I couldn't have wished for a better day. It was perfect, she was perfect. I took her cliff diving, something that I wouldn't have ever imagined doing with my imprint, if it had turned out to be anyone else. But Bella wanted so badly to go, and it was one thing I could give her that her bloodsucker couldn't and never would let her do. The only way I knew that I could allow her to jump off a cliff, was if she was in my arms securely. Paul was right, I was whipped. The moment I looked into Bella's eyes, I turned into a freaking pussy.

The boys saw it, Kim loved pointing it out. My tough exterior wall I put up was torn down by a petite girl standing at only five feet four inches. I would often catch myself thinking like some middle school girl in braids, instead of a grown man who is Alpha of a freaking pack of werewolves. Like sitting in my house, drinking my miseries away. That wasn't me. That wasn't the type of guy I was. If Leah and I ever fought, even with the mini-break ups, I would always brush them off. I'd go hang out with a few of my buddies or do something. But not with my Bella. Bella had the ability to turn a man into a crying little girl, taking my balls with her.

I wanted to hate her for doing this to me, but I couldn't, not even for a second. She was my imprint, my soul mate, and I'd wait for her forever, because I couldn't live without her. Her leech may be able to offer her a lot in the world, but I could provide her with things the bloodsucker never could. I could give her a family, children, and being able to keep her friends and family. She could keep her soul and mortality. There was an endless list of things we could do together that she couldn't do with Cullen. He couldn't step one foot into the sunlight with witnesses around. No sunny beach days or trips to theme parks, or even something as simple as a bar-b-que. The leech could provide her any material thing in the darkness of night or shade of clouds, but I would be waiting in the sunlight for Bella to realize I could give her the truest things. Life, love, and family.

But then I started to think back to why I was currently on my second case of beer. Waiting would be useless, pointless. She probably wouldn't want to see me again. She saw me at my worst. I ripped her freaking boyfriend's arm off. I knew he would be fine, but she wouldn't see it that way.

I was pretty lost in my thoughts when I heard a knock at the door. I glanced at the clock and saw it was nearing five o'clock. An entire day had passed and I hadn't even realized it. I looked over the door pondering if I really wanted to get up. I was pretty comfortable, and after a full night of drinking and no sleep, the few steps to the door seemed pretty far away. Finally I got up to make sure it wasn't any tribal business. I was depressed, but I still had duties to the tribe. I couldn't wallow in self-pity forever. I opened the door and held on to the door frame for support. I knew I had to be dreaming. I must have passed out without realizing it. There was no other explanation for Bella to be at my door.

"Sam? What happened?" she asked taking in my appearance. I knew I had to look rough.

"Bella," I breathed out, still not sure if I was dreaming.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"I am now." Dream or not, I was okay if she was with me.

"What?"

"I didn't think I would see you again. I assumed you would hate me."

"Why would I hate you, Sam?" Was she kidding me?

"Well, I lied to you for the past couple of months first off."

"You had a personal secret that you didn't feel I deserved to know, that's your business and your decision. I have no right to be made at you for that. Look, can I come in so we can talk?"

I shook my head feeling stupid, "Of course, sorry. I didn't mean to make you stand in the drizzle."

"It's okay." She walked inside taking a look at my disaster of a living room. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the stack of beer cans. Shit.

"Oh, I'm sorry, again. I was trying to drown my sorrows in beer, and well, it takes an awful lot to get me drunk." There was no need to try and even lie, I knew it was impossible.

"You really thought I would push you out of my life," she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I did," I said picking up the cans and taking them to the kitchen. She followed me in there.

"Sam, I already told you that I don't care about what mythical creatures people are. It doesn't matter to me. You are all people to me based on _who _you are, rather than _what_ you are."

"You're too understanding, Bella. Did you not see me rip his arm off? I wanted him dead." She didn't say anything as she walked over to me quickly. Looking over me for injuries she spoke.

"I did see, and I've seen it reattached, so no harm done. But what about you? Are you okay? There was a lot of blood yesterday."

"I'm fine, I heal fast."

"Part of the werewolf thing?" I nodded. "Okay, so now that you know that I know, can you explain it to me a little better? I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

"Sure, I'll tell you anything. Where do you want me to begin?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about the beginning?" I gave her a small smile.

"Okay, but from the beginning is a long story." I warned her.

"Well, it's a good thing it's Friday night and I don't have a curfew any longer, what with being eighteen and all."

I went into the beginning, how I changed and was missing. Coming back, the boys phasing, imprinting, Leah, and then her, my Bella.

"…Then I went over to Billy's house for a bar-b-que. And my life forever changed."

"Mine, too," she said softly, "but how so for you?"

"I met you, Bella."

"I'm not that special, Sam. Meeting me is not a life altering event." She couldn't have been more wrong. I shook my head.

"It was for me."

"Why?" This was it, the big moment. I was scared to death that she'd get up and leave. I took a deep breath.

"Because I imprinted." Her eyebrows pulled together and her lips made a straight line.

"Oh, that's nice," she said looking away. I didn't understand her reaction. "Who is she?" _Is she serious? Did she not notice that I didn't take my eyes off her that day? And if I imprinted on someone else, why would I spend all my free time with her?_

"Bella, you're joking, right?" She was a smart girl, there was no way she couldn't know it was her. She still wouldn't look at me.

"You're right, I don't want to know. I guess Edward had nothing to worry about." _What?_

"What does that mean?"

"He was worried that since we broke up that I would start dating you. I guess he never read in your mind that you already have a girlfriend, a soul mate." She broke up with the leech. That was the greatest thing I'd ever heard. Now I just had to set her straight.

"I don't have a girlfriend, Bella."

"Why not? How could she not want you?"

"Until recently she was interested in someone else."

"She's stupid then." I couldn't help but laugh. She had absolutely no clue she was talking about herself. How could Bella not see how much I loved her?

"No, she's not stupid, she just- well, honestly I don't know what that pretty little head of hers was thinking."

"You said recently, so she's single now, right? So are you going to make your move now?"

"Should I?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, if she doesn't see what's in front of her, then maybe she doesn't really deserve you." The whole conversation she spent looking out the window. I pulled her face toward me gently with one hand. She closed her eyes as her head turned. I could see the tears spill out and roll down her cheeks. I wiped them away with my other hand. I held her face in between my hands and she kept her eyes closed. I leaned down and lightly brushed my lips against hers. I felt a small shock, and she gasped at the touch. She opened her eyes wide looking at me with questions. I leaned back down and captured her lips with more force. She instantly kissed me back with fervor. I pulled her closer to me, tasting her sweet flavor of strawberries and vanilla. I was getting lost in the kiss. Just as I traced her lower lip with my tongue she pulled away sharply.

"Stop," she panted. "We can't, you can't."

"Yes, we can," I said trying to pull her back to me. I wasn't done tasting her, exploring her.

"No. What about your imprint?" Bella truly amazed me sometimes and other times she left me flabbergasted. I laughed a bit but stopped at the glare she was shooting me.

"Bella, don't you see, there's no other girl."

"What?" she asked confused. "You said you imprinted."

"I did. I imprinted at Billy's bar-b-que, where the only girl there that I'd never seen since phasing, was you."

"What?" she said in a small voice.

"Bella, I imprinted on you. You're my soul mate. You're the only one I want. You're the one I'd wait until my dying breath for."

"What?" I was beginning to wonder if she was on repeat.

"Bella, say something else, please."

"Me?" I sighed, it was a start.

"Yes, you."

"Oh my," she said looking back out the window. After a minute she quickly looked back at me. "Really, I mean, me? I'm nothing special. I've seen Leah, she's gorgeous, why would you want me over her?"

"You really don't see yourself correctly. You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. And Leah was great, I admit that, but there were certain things that never really clicked with us. I click completely with you. I want you. No, that's not right. I _need _you, Bella."

"So I'm the stupid girl?" I smiled at my Bella.

"I already told you that she wasn't stupid. You were just indecisive. I mean you still spent all that time with. I'm sure that the leech wasn't happy about it and you still did."

"He hated it, but he knew I wouldn't give up my friendship with you, so he put up with it." I nodded, oddly knowing how he felt. She looked at me for a few minutes like she was trying to figure out who I was. The silence was beginning to make me feel jittery, especially under her attentive eye.

"So…what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I don't feel so awful for always thinking about you when I was with Edward. It wasn't really my fault, and I wasn't such a bad girlfriend after all. I was just the girlfriend of the wrong guy."

"So you're okay with this, with me imprinting on you?"

"Yes, I more than okay with it. I'm relieved. I don't have to give you up. And I don't have to give my life up to be happy."

"No, you don't. I would never ask you to something like that. You can have a complete life, with anything you want to happen. If I'm able, I'll give you anything you want. Just ask."

"There is one thing…" she said smiling.

"What's that, Bella?"

"Kiss me," she breathed out. I smiled broadly.

"Happily."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** **So my dad fixed my broken water pump that left me with no heat. I am so a daddy's girl when I want to be, even at twenty-one. He is my current hero with the still freezing weather. So I don't know if anyone else is having issues with going back to school, but I sure am. It's been problem after problem this semester and it's only the second day back for me. Anyway, this chapter switches back to Bella with a little overlay from the previous chapter. I know some of you really wanted to hear what was going on in Bella's mind when she learned the complete truth behind the imprinting. Personally I think she's a riot. Thank you all so much for the reviews. I was glad to hear that Sam's POV was so well taken by you all.**

**DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story. Actually I lose time and energy I should be spending on my Master's homework.**

* * *

We were kissing, and it was amazing. It was everything that I could have hoped for. He tasted so good and I knew he knew exactly what he was doing. I'd wanted to kiss him since the bar-b-que when I saw his full lips. Everything was perfect until my mind got away from me. _I'm kissing the bronze god. I'm kissing Sam. I'm kissing someone not Edward. I'm kissing someone else's soul mate. _That last thought pulled me short. I pulled away from Sam embarrassed by my actions.

"Stop," I panted. "We can't, you can't."

"Yes, we can," He said trying to pull me back to him. I wanted to so badly. But he already had a soul mate and it wasn't me. He'd just finished telling me that. I envied that stupid girl. She didn't know what she was missing out on. That was the most amazing kiss I'd ever experienced. If I could just have one more to remember it by.

"No. What about your imprint?" He laughed a bit stopping when he noticed the glare I was shooting me.

"Bella, don't you see, there's no other girl." _What the hell is he talking about? No other girl? Did he lie to me. I don't think Sam would do that._

"What?" I asked confused. "You said you imprinted." Of course there was a girl. We'd just discussed her. How could he forget his soul mate so easily? Maybe she wasn't really it. Maybe he was mistaken and I could have him.

"I did. I imprinted at Billy's bar-b-que, where the only girl there that I'd never seen since phasing, was you." _What does that mean? What does that _mean_? Is he saying what I think he's saying? Oh dear God, please say that it is._

"What?" I said in a tiny voice.

"Bella, I imprinted on you. You're my soul mate. You're the only one I want. You're the one I'd wait until my dying breath for."

"What?" It just seemed too good to be true. How could the bronze god in front of me belong to me… forever? Surely I was unworthy of him.

"Bella, say something else, please." What did he really expect? I mean the man just told me that he was my soul mate. I think I deserved a few minutes to process it. I needed to make sure before I really go my hopes up.

"Me?" He sighed frustrated.

"Yes, you," he said gently. He looked like he was afraid I might break.

"Oh my," I said looking back out the window. _What did this mean now? Will we be a couple? Does he really want me or was it that wolfie thing. Oh God, how would I compare to Leah, the bronze goddess herself. Why would he ever want me after having Leah for so many years? Sam is a man, and I'm sure Leah knew how to please him well. I have absolutely no experience in that department. Hell, that kiss a minute ago was the furthest I've ever gone. I couldn't be who he would really want._ After a minute of my inner rambling I quickly looked back at him. "Really, I mean, me? I'm nothing special. I've seen Leah, she's gorgeous, why would you want me over her?"

"You really don't see yourself correctly. You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. And Leah was great, I admit that, but there were certain things that never really clicked with us. I click completely with you. I want you. No, that's not right. I _need _you, Bella." It was real. He _needed _me, just like I knew I needed him. That's why I fought so hard against Edward to see Sam. I was just too stupid to see it.

"So I'm the stupid girl?" He smiled at me.

"I already told you that she wasn't stupid. You were just indecisive. I mean you still spent all that time with me. I'm sure that the leech wasn't happy about it and you still did."

"He hated it, but he knew I wouldn't give up my friendship with you, so he put up with it." He simply nodded. I looked at Sam for a few minutes trying to figure why I never saw it before. I always thought and earned for Sam even when I was with Edward. I felt bad about, and I was sure as hell glad Edward couldn't read my mind. But really Sam was my soul mate; of course I would think of him and want to be with him. I wasn't a bad girlfriend after all. I could see Sam start to bounce his leg nervously.

"So…what are you thinking?" I didn't see the point in lying; I didn't have to do that with Sam.

"I'm thinking I don't feel so awful for always thinking about you when I was with Edward. It wasn't really my fault, and I wasn't such a bad girlfriend after all. I was just the girlfriend of the wrong guy." He looked apprehensive of my answer, but I could still see the hope gleaming in his eyes.

"So you're okay with this, with me imprinting on you?" That was a stupid question.

"Yes, I more than okay with it. I'm relieved. I don't have to give you up. And I don't have to give my life up to be happy."

"No, you don't. I would never ask you to something like that. You can have a complete life, with anything you want to happen. If I'm able, I'll give you anything you want. Just ask." I wanted a family and a lifetime of love, but at the moment there was just one thing on my mind.

"There is one thing…" I said smiling.

"What's that, Bella?"

"Kiss me," I breathed out. Sam smiled broadly.

"Happily."

So we spent the next hour just making out. It was a new experience that I looked forward to doing again and again. It started to get late and even though I knew we still had much to talk about, I left for my house. Charlie would be worried about where I was and probably starving or burning down the house without me. I had to work the following day but we agreed that I would come over to his house for a homemade dinner, so that we could just talk in private.

* * *

Work was work. Slow, boring, and annoying. Well, work wasn't so much annoying as Mike Newton was. It was a long shift, since I'd gotten off for my disaster of a birthday. By four-thirty I was watching the clock tick. It seemed to go backward, but it could have just been me. Mike didn't seem bothered by it. Why would he when his shift ended two and half hours ago, and yet there he stood right next to me yammering away.

"So I heard a rumor…" He said. I didn't take my eyes off the clock as I rolled them.

"You should never listen to a word you hear in this town, Mike."

"Well, that's why I wanted to confirm it true or not with you." I sighed as the clock hit four thirty-two.

"Why would I be able to tell you?"

"Because it was about you." _Great. _

"And what was that?" I said losing my patience. People in Forks had way too much time to gossip.

"That you and Edward broke up." I turned quickly to look at him.

"What?"

"I heard that the two of you ended it. Rumor has that the Cullen's might even being moving." Surely someone would have mentioned that to me, someone not Mike Newton, but someone with the last name Cullen or Hale.

"Where did you hear that?"

"My mom heard from Mrs. Stanley, who heard it from Mrs. Tennyson. You know she's a nurse at the hospital. That's were it originated." Of course Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Newton would be in the loop. "Well?"

"We broke up, but I haven't heard anything about them moving."

"Great!" he exclaimed before slapping his hand over his mouth. "I mean, sorry to hear that. Maybe we can go to a movie tonight to cheer you up. Your pick."

"I have plans tonight, Mike. And I don't need cheering up."

"You don't?" I knew this would happen. Everyone would assume that Edward Cullen, god of Forks, would wise up and dump plain Bella Swan. Even when we were dating I didn't understand why he would have chosen me, so why would anyone else. There assumptions held sufficient ground. I wasn't sure what would possess the powers that be that controlled imprinting to make me Sam's soul mate either. But this time I wouldn't question it. I would take him and run, hoping those same powers never smartened up. "Bella?" _What did he ask again? _I was too lost in my own thoughts. _Oh yeah, cheering up._

"No, Mike, I don't because I was the one that did the breaking up. It was my decision and I'm happy with it, so no, I don't need cheering up.

"Oh, wow, okay. That's cool. What about tomorrow?" I often wondered if Mike was dropped on his head as a baby.

"Mike, I don't want to go out. Plus, aren't you with Jessica right now?" I never could keep up with the two of them.

"We broke up last week. I figured the two newly singles could hang."

"Thanks, but I'll being doing my hanging down in La Push with my other friends."

"Did you break up with Edward for one of those res kids?" he asked disbelieving.

"I broke up with Edward because we no longer saw eye to eye on some important matters. Plus, the feelings just weren't there like they used to be. We weren't meant to be, and I ended before we could kid ourselves any longer. And if I start dating someone it's none of your business. The people I know on the res are some of the best, kindest, most caring people I've ever met. So I would appreciate it you didn't talk in such a tone about them again in my presence, preferably at all."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Bella. I just thought you could do better, is all. Isn't one of those kids like fourteen?"

"He's fifteen. And he's not who I would possibly date. He's my best friend. He doesn't act his age; he's been through stuff that's matured him."

"Alright, okay. Sorry I asked. I'll just get out of your hair. See you at school Monday."

"Yeah, bye."

I really hoped that would be the end of Mike Newton trying to ask me out. That conversation had wasted another fifteen minutes, so only thirteen more left. At five o'clock on the dot, I drove home. I ran up stairs to change out of my work clothes. I went back downstairs to fix Charlie a plate. He came in as I was warming up his leftovers that I was feeding him.

"Hey, Bells. What's got you all dressed up?" I looked down at my dark wash jeans and blue blouse.

"I'm not dressed up."

"Yeah, okay. Did Alice pick it out?" It was sad that even my father knew that my pixie friend was the reason I ever looked especially nice.

"She picked them out at the store, but I picked them out of my closet all on my own like a big girl."

"Okay, okay. You just look nicer than normal, I was curious. What's with only one plate? You going over to the Cullen's?"

"No, Dad, I'm going down to La Push." He raised both eyebrows.

"Oh, really?"

"Yep," I said wanting to get to Sam's.

"Sit down for second and talk to me." I sat waiting for him to speak. After giving him ahead nod, he continued. "I heard that the Cullen's were thinking of moving."

"Yeah I heard that too, today."

"You don't know for certain?"

"Nope, I only heard from Mike at work."

"Edwin did tell you."

"It's Edward, and you know that. I broke up with him last night. It's not a big deal. But now I am sort of out of the loop with what that family does in the future."

"You broke up with him?" Charlie barely choked out.

"Yes, I did. Is it really that hard to believe?"

"No, well, yeah. I mean I thought you were pretty serious with him."

"I was, but I realized that it wasn't meant to be."

"Well," he cleared his throat, "that's good. Good for you, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad."

"So does this mean you'll maybe give Jacob a shot?"

"No, Dad! I won't. I think of Jacob as a little brother, my best friend."

"Oh, well, a father can hope. What about Sam? You don't think of him as an older brother, do you?"

"Um, well, no. He's a…friend." I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched. Sam was still my friend as far as I knew. A friend I kissed for an hour, but a friend nonetheless. I wasn't going to assume we were together and have it bite me in the butt later.

"Good to know. He seems like a pretty good guy, at least according to Billy. The old man can't say enough good things about Sam."

"Yeah, Sam's a really great guy."

"Is that who you're going to see by any chance?"

"Yes, Dad, it is. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope, not all. Have fun. What are you doing sitting here with your old man?"

"I'm not too sure. Thanks, Dad," I said rolling my eyes. The man was an enigma sometimes.

I grabbed my wristlet and skipped my way to the truck. Hopefully my answered questions would be answered and I'd know if Sam and I were in fact a couple. On the ride I thought about how it might look pretty bad if I broke up with Edward and got a new boyfriend literally the next day. After a moment of consideration, I decided to hell with anyone that judged me. I didn't want to miss another minute with my soul mate, my Sam.

* * *

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you again for all the reviews. I am only a few away from 500 and this is only the thirteenth chapter. It took 23 chapters to hit that mark on one of my other stories. I love my readers and reviewers. You make this one of my favorite stories to write. Thanks!! So let me know if you want the Cullen's to really leave Forks, or do you want them to stay. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but this is as far as my outline goes, so I am open to suggestions.**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I pulled into the driveway to see Sam waiting for me on the porch. Before I could get my seat belt off, he had the truck door open for me. I released the belt and fell into his strong, welcoming arms.

"I missed you," he murmured into my hair.

"I missed you too." He pulled back and I could see eyes shining with happiness. Sam leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I leaned in again for more, but he set me down on the ground, and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, dinner's ready," he said guiding me to his front door.

We went inside and I saw that he already had everything set up on the table. A blue table cloth replaced the previously bare wood that was normal there. There were two lit candles on the table as well. And the food just looked delicious. There was a large dish holding a roast with potatoes and carrots soaking up its juices. Green beans and corn bread sat in their own dishes on the table.

"I knew you could cook a little, but I didn't think you could cook a whole meal quite like this." Sam looked away.

"I don't," he grimaced. "I asked my mom to help."

"That was nice of her."

"Yeah, well, I sort of told her that if she would cook for us tonight, that I'd introduce you to her by the end of next week."

"Oh," I said numbly. Meeting his mom would be a big step. He already knew Charlie, and Charlie loved Sam. There would be no awkwardness there, especially it was just thirty minutes eariler that Charlie practically pushed me out the door when he heard I was coming to see Sam.

"I can get us out of it, if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. I'm just surprised. I guess it's fair though. You've meet Charlie."

"True, but we'll only go if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Great, 'cause I know she's going to love you." I sure hoped so.

We sat down and started to fill our plates. We enjoyed the meal that Sam's mother fixed for us. I was right, it was delicious. After dinner we went into the living room. We got situated on the couch. Sam sat first at one end of the couch. I followed suit and sat next to him. Now that I knew he was mine forever, or at least I was hoping that was what the imprint meant, I wasn't going to waste time not being close to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. I rested my head on his chest. I loved the warmth. We were quiet for a few minutes, so I decided to break the silence.

"So what does being imprinted on exactly mean?"

"Well, for you it doesn't have to mean anything. The imprint doesn't do anything to you. You can go on with your life normally without me in it." I looked at him like he was crazy. How could I not want him in my life? That was just crazy.

"What if I want you in it?"

"Then I'll be it. In any way you want."

"What if I want us to be together, like a couple?"

"That would make me the happiest man on earth," he said smiling brightly.

"Good because that is exactly what I want. I want you…forever."

"Then that's exactly what you'll get. I'd do anything for you, Bella."

"So what makes an imprint relationship different than a normal one?"

"Well, you never have to worry about me leaving you or being unfaithful. I'm one-hundred percent committed to you and only you. Now that doesn't mean that we'll never fight or disagree, but we'll always be together at the end of the day. You have my complete devotion."

"I like the sound of that."

"Me too, baby," he said, leaning down for kiss. When he started to pull away, I deepened the kiss. He let my tongue explore his mouth. I ran my hands through his dark locks. He moaned into the kiss prior to pulling away. He placed a small kiss on my mouth before he leaned back.

"I don't want to move too fast here, Bella. I want us to do this right."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. I just want you so much, Bella, and I don't want to lose control. I don't want the inner wolf to take over when it comes to you. The soul mate aspect of imprinting isn't the only part. Part of imprinting is about carrying on the wolf gene."

"What does that mean?" I asked bewildered.

"It means that part of the reason that wolves imprint is to reproduce," he said quietly.

"You mean, kids?"

"Well, yeah, not like tomorrow, but someday." That was huge. I wasn't even out of high school yet and I was already expected to reproduce the next generation.

"I- I'm not sure what to say."

"Bella, we don't have to have children any time soon. And if you don't want them at all, then we don't have to. I just want us to be honest and this is an aspect of imprinting. I feel the need to be with you fully, but I don't want you to feel pressured. We can wait as long as you'd like to. I can fight the need. I've been doing for the past few months, so it's not a big deal."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I just never really imagined myself as a mother, at least not until I felt this connection with you. At the hospital after my accident at the party, I looked at the babies in the nursery. I just stared at them for I'm not sure how long. Eventually Rosalie found me and we talked. But looking at them made me realize that I didn't want to give up the possibility of having one someday. I still don't really see myself as a mother, but I'd be willing to see and learn, if it was with you."

"Yeah?" I nodded my head. "Like I said, we can wait as long as you want. You can go to college first, or do anything you want before we even start to try. And if you change your mind, and don't want to try, then I'll be okay with that. Bella, my life is about making you happy. What you want from our relationship is up to you solely."

"I'm not sure I like having that much power. Do you want children?"

"I want what you want."

"No, if there was no imprint, if my happiness wasn't a factor in your decision, would you want children?"

"Um, well, that's- you- I can't really say, because I can't imagine not having the imprint anymore."

I didn't want him to not have the life he wanted because of me. I wanted to know now what he truly wanted. If he really and truly wanted children, then I would one day give him that. I wanted him to be happy just as much as he wanted me to be happy.

"Before the imprint, when you were with Leah, did you plan on having children with her?"

"Yes."

"Why?" He looked at me confused. "Why did you want children? Because she wanted them or because _you_ wanted them?"

"Well, I knew she wanted them, but that wasn't it. I wanted them too. You know my father left my life when I was younger and even before he left he wasn't much of a dad. I help out at the center, but I want my own son or daughter to raise. I want to be the dad that Joshua never was."

"Then one day, way down the line, we'll try."

"Bella, you don't have to-"

"People work together in a relationship, don't they? I want you to be happy too. I already said that I would try if I had you by my side. If you want a baby, we'll have a baby."

"All right," he said softly. I could see him trying to hide his smile. That alone should be how much he really wanted it. He pulled me close into a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, though, you don't have to thank me. I can see how much you want it, and that makes me want it too."

"I am so happy everything is out in the open now. I can touch you, hug you, and kiss you whenever I want."

"I'm happy too. I feel like I'm where I belong now."

"You are where you belong, Bella." We sat for a few minutes, Sam just holding me close. "Do you have any more questions? I want us to start with no secrets, with a new slate."

"Um, I don't really think so. I mean, what will happen with us?"

"Well, you can meet the rest of the pack, then my mom. We need to go out on an official date. From there we go where ever we want. We date, when you're out of school and ready, we can get married. Then far, far down the road, we can try for a baby. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," I smiled. "When can I meet the guys and Kim too?"

"Soon, as soon as you want. Kim is dying to meet you. She's really excited about finally having another girl."

"I'm excited to meet them too. They make up a big part of your life. I really want them to like me."

"They'll love you, Bella. Kim may suffocate you at first with hugs and non-stop talking. Jared will probably be too wrapped up in all that is Kim to notice you. And well, Paul can be an ass, but don't worry. I can easily shut him up." I had to laugh. At least he was upfront and honest at what I should expect.

"Okay, then that's it for my questions. Do you have questions for me?"

"Yeah, a few."

"Okay, shoot."

"What happened here?" he asked holding up my wrist that was scarred from James' bite.

"James," I said softly.

"You said that name yesterday."

"Yeah, I did. Last spring break I was with the Cullen family in a field where they play baseball." Sam snorted and I rolled my eyes. "Three vampires heard the noise the family was making and came to investigate. James smelled me and Edward reacted protectively. James was a tracker. The hunt was what he loved. Alice and Jasper accompanied me to Phoenix. There James tricked me into meeting him alone at my old ballet studio. I thought he had my mom, but he didn't. Anyway, he was about to kiss me when Edward came, but not until after he'd already bitten me. I was changing," Sam growled loudly, "but that obviously didn't happen."

"How is that possible? If you're bitten, you change, end of story."

"Not necessarily. Edward sucked out the venom, without allowing any of his own to enter my blood stream. I had severe blood loss, but after a many blood transfusions at the hospital I was fine."

"How did he stop?"

"It wasn't easy from what I was told. Carlisle had to stress to him that he needed to stop. He said he almost didn't, but he did, and I'm alive."

"Well, I guess I have that to be grateful."

"Yeah, so that's that."

"You said there were three, what happened to the other two?"

"Um, well, Laurent supposedly went to stay in Denali, where the Cullen's have some other animal drinking friends live. Victoria, James' mate disappeared. She left Forks and we haven't seen or heard from her again."

"Hmm, all right. Well, that answers that question. What do you want to do?"

"When?" I asked confused.

"In your life. We never really talked about the long term future before. What do you want to do with your life, what do you want to study in college?"

"I'm actually not sure. I love literature and reading, but I'm not sure what to do with that."

"You could teach."

"No, I don't think I would enjoy it. Not many kids or teenagers share my love for books. I wouldn't want to teach to a group of people not interested in the subject and that would be what teaching would be."

"All right, you could write your own book."

"What would I write about?"

"I'm sure you could think of something. You do have a pretty exciting life."

"It's not like I could actually write about what has happened in my life."

"No, I would think not, but I'm sure you could write something inspired by the world around you."

"Maybe, I don't know."

I didn't know. There were endless possibilities of careers and jobs, but none of them called out to me. And there really weren't many things I could do in La Push or Forks. Sam couldn't leave here, so neither could I. I mean, I'm sure he would chastise me for that thought. He would want me to go and do anything my little heart desired, but I wouldn't want to do anything without him by my side, so I would be staying in Forks and La Push. At least until he could go with me.

"Well, you still have time to decide. College applications aren't due until like February, right? That's five months to decide which one would be best for what you decided you want to do."

"What would happen to you if I left?"

"You don't have to worry about me, Bella."

"I saw what you looked like yesterday when you answered the door, Sam."

"That was only because I thought I was _never _going to see you again. Going to college is not the same as leaving my life forever. We'll make it work, I promise. I'll come visit you as often as I can. I'll leave Jared in charge for a weekend every now and then. Plus, you'll come home for the different breaks. We'll be fine."

"I guess."

"I know, Bella. I won't have you giving anything up to be with me. I wish I could offer you the world, but I can't. So letting you go do anything you want, is what I can give."

"You don't have to give me anything, but you."

"You already have me, baby. You've had me from first sight."

We spent another hour just talking about ourselves. We told each other how it was for us growing up. What kind of childhoods we had, who are friends were. He asked a little bit more about the Cullen's and what my relationship with each of them was. I could tell he didn't like how close I was to them, but he didn't say anything about it. I got ready to head home, Sam had patrol to get to.

"Do you work tomorrow?" he asked.

"No."

"Will you come over tomorrow then? You could meet the pack."

"Um well, I was actually thinking about going to see the Cullen's tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I heard today that they might be moving and I just wanted to find out the truth from them. I deserve a good bye, I think. I can come over afterward."

"All right. Are you sure you'll be okay going over there?"

"I'll be fine. They love me, Sam, they wouldn't hurt me intentionally. And I'll be sure to stay away from sharp edges, paper included. I'll come straight here after I'm done. I just want to talk to them a little." He took a deep breath. I knew it had to be difficult for him to let me go into a house full of vampires, his enemy, but he'd been letting me do it for months.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll stop by the store and pick up something to fix for lunch. I'm assuming Jared and Paul eat as much as you do."

"Yeah."

"All right, I'll be here before noon to start on lunch. Good night, Sam."

"Good night, baby." I reached up for a kiss, though with his height, he had to meet me half way. It was a slow, but chaste kiss. "Tomorrow," he murmured against my lips.

"Tomorrow," I said softly.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Bella goes to see the Cullen's? Will they even be there still? Will all of them be there, some of them, or none of them? We shall see. Thanks again for the tremendous reviews. Also thanks for being so understanding with my Internet issues. Verizon said my new USB modem should arrive on my door step Tuesday. Let's cross our fingers and hope that it does come then.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:**

So I've think that I've had some amazing reviewers on all of my stories. I have been thrilled to never have been given a rude, uncalled for reviews. That was before January 23. I got this review:

---------

Tired  
2010-01-22 . chapter 1

Could you possibly violate canon any more completely? I mean if you really went for broke you could have Bella pregnant with Billy Black's love child...or hey! Why not Carlisle and Billy at the same time. Twins, one wolf and one vamp!

The premise of the story is just ridiculous.

(shakes head)

T.

---------

First off, I realize that this person most likely isn't reading this, but I have a few things to say anyway. I hope that none you, my great readers and reviewers, ever leave such a comment, regardless of the story or the pairings. Reviews are meant for encouragement, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

Second, this is fanFICTION. The fans or writers can write whatever their little hearts wish to write. The real story is canon, but fanfiction is an outlet for those of us that were less than satisfied with the ending of a particular book. I'm not really an Edward fan. I don't hate him, and I do enjoy reading the occasional canon Bella and Edward story.

Third, what kind of person does it make you, if you go out of your way to put someone else down? A crappy, poor excuse of a person if you ask me. Find something more positive to do with your life. In stead of writing reviews for the sole purpose of hurting someone that you don't even know, try being a good human being and helping others. A horrible thing happened in Haiti last week. Do something to help those people. There are ways to do so, and they don't all involve giving money.

Fourth, if you don't like anything non-canon, don't click on it. I mean really, read the description, if it doesn't sound like it meets your liking keep scrolling. There are thousands and thousands of fanfiction for you to read. Find one that meets your very limited liking.

Fifth, grow some balls and sign in before insulting someone. Leaving an anonymous review in such bad taste is simply cowardly.

Finally, as Thumper's father taught him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Thanks for all listening to my rant. Just please have respect as you review and read stories. Writers put a lot of time, energy, and thought into their stories. For some, all it takes is one review like this one and they give up. And that is a shame and a crime. The U.S. values free speech, but have respect doing so. And remember that the writers on here have the right to write any kind of story they want. Your right is no greater than theirs. Oh and last thing. I would never write a Billy and Bella story, or even a Carlisle and Bella story.

And with that, on to Waiting for the Sunlight for those that enjoy Sam and Bella together.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

The next morning I got ready and headed for the Cullen residence. It didn't really matter how early I arrived, it's not like they slept. I got there around eight o'clock. Driving down the long drive, my heart beat rapidly, and I couldn't breathe. I was so scared that they would all be gone. I would get to the house and it would be abandoned. As the driveway of trees broke into the clearing that the house sat on, I could breathe again. I could still see Carlisle's Mercedes parked, lights were on in the house, no boards on the windows. They hadn't left me.

As I got out of my truck, I heard the front door open.

"Morning, Bella," Alice chirped from the porch.

"Good morning, Alice."

"Come on inside. Esme has fixed a wonderful breakfast for you."

"Oh, she didn't have to do that."

"No, but she wanted to and I know that you're hungry."

She had me there. I was in such a rush this morning that I skipped out on eating in order to get here sooner. In my head at the time, those extra twenty minutes could have meant they were gone by the time I arrived.

I followed her into the house, looking around for any signs of the other family members as I made my way to the kitchen. I saw none. When we walked into the kitchen, Esme was setting a plate at the breakfast bar. I sat down and inhaled the sweet aroma from the plate in front of me.

"This smell and look absolutely mouthwatering, Esme. What is it?"

"They're strawberry and crème crepes, dear."

"Oh, I haven't one of those in a very long time." She smiled at me as Alice hopped on the barstool next to me.

"So what do you want to do today?" she asked.

"Oh well, I'm-"

"Never mind, I see that I only have you for the morning. Still I could manage to get us to Port Angeles with plenty of time to shop some."

"Alice…"

"I know, that's not why you're here."

"Where's the rest of the family?" I asked setting down my fork. Esme looked at me sadly, but it was Alice to answer.

"Carlisle is in his study. The others are in Denali."

"Alaska?"

"Yes, it was thought to be best."

"Are the three of you leaving as well?"

"Well, that is really up to you?"

"To me?"

"Yes, to a certain extent. We've been here for a long time. People at the hospital are starting to wonder how Carlisle holds onto his youth so well. We should have been moving on soon anyway. So Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper are all 'away' at college, so they won't be missed while in Alaska. And as to what we're going to say about Edward's departure is up to you."

"What do you mean? You aren't really giving me a good explanation here, Alice. Just tell me."

"After graduation, we're leaving no matter what. It's time for us to move on, time wise. But if you don't want us here, Carlisle, Esme and my self, then we'll leave immediately. You heard about Carlisle's offer?" I nodded. "It's true, but he hasn't given them an answer yet. If you wish for us to leave you to live your life, then he'll take it, and we'll join the rest of our family in Alaska."

"I don't want you to leave. You're my best friend, Alice."

"Even after I leave, Bella, after graduation, if you still wish to keep in contact we will. I promise you that."

"And what about Edward?"

"He's hurting, dear," Esme spoke up. "He needs some time to accept the way things are."

"He's quite used to getting his way, Bella. You not wanting him anymore was a bit of a shock to him," Alice added.

"I still want to be his friend, I told him that."

"And he doesn't want to lose you entirely either, but he just needs time to adjust and accept the current arrangement."

"And you said what you would say about him would depend."

"Yes, if we all leave then nothing will need to be said. The family would be moving as a unit. But if we three were to stay, we would say he left to finish the year with our aunt and uncle in Denali."

"Why did the others leave?"

"Well, Jasper didn't feel comfortable staying so close. He needed time to refocus on our diet. The memory of your blood's scent still makes you appealing. He is so very sorry though."

"He has no reason to be. I knew the risks of spending time with your family. I don't blame him for anything. I don't understand why Emmett left without a good bye."

"He and Rosalie went to be support for the other two. Both are beating themselves up over what happened. Each blames himself solely for your accident. Emmett and Rosalie are just trying to be there for them."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. I hope they can knock some sense into them. It was an accident. No one was to blame."

"Yes, well, regardless it was better for them to leave Forks."

"I understand."

"So what is your decision, Bella?"

"What? Oh! I want you to stay of course. If you're leaving in a few months, I want to spend the time I can have with you. Do you think the others might be better by the time graduation comes to say good bye?"

"I think that is a strong possibility."

"Good, that's nice to hear."

"So what do you want to do with our next two hours?"

"Don't you already know what we'll be doing?"

"Yes, but I was trying to have a normal conversation."

"Just tell me."

"We're watching _The Breakfast Club_," she said proudly.

"You usually don't like teen movies like that."

"I do if they were made in the eighties. John Hughes was a mastermind."

"If you say so…"

"Oh come on, Bella. _Sixteen Candles_ was a riot."

"A riot?"

"Whatever. You have sorry taste in film. Not all movies can be set in the eighteenth century with British accents."

"I like movies other than classic novel adaptations, thank you very much."

"_Romeo and Juliet_ is not much better."

"Fine, put the movie in."

So I watched as the group of screw ups all found themselves and discovered each other as well. The poor geek ended up alone. He definitely got a better ending in _Sixteen Candles_. He got the head cheerleader in that one.

* * *

After the movie finished, I said my good byes. I would see Alice at school the following day. I promised to come see Esme and Carlisle soon. I got in my truck and headed for the store, I debated on which store to go to. I decided to just go to the store on the res. That way I wouldn't have to backtrack through Forks. I pulled in the store and hopped out of my truck. I going through the door, I grabbed one of the small shopping carts. They, unfortunately, didn't have large ones since they were such a small store, and I knew my cart would be full, if not overflowing.

While driving I decided on what to fix for lunch. I knew it couldn't be overly complicated because I would have to fix a lot of it. I settled on enchiladas with black beans and rice. I made my way over to the produce section first. I grabbed a couple of sweet onions, a few green onions, some green and red bell peppers. I also picked out some jalapeno peppers, some green chiles and dried red pepper. I wasn't completely sure what kind of basic cooking supplies that Sam would have in his kitchen. I grabbed the olive oil, rice, beans, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and tomato paste. I was deciding how much to get of the ground beef when I heard my name.

"Bella!" I turned to see Jacob strolling his way over to me.

"Hey, Jake."

"Happy late birthday," he told me, taking me into a Jacob hug.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Wasn't it fun?"

"Um, yeah, fun not so much. Klutzy me, I got hurt," I said holding up my arm that still had the stitches in it.

"How the heck did you manage this?" He asked examining my arm carefully.

"Tripped into the table holding the cake and plates."

"Dang, Bells, you gotta be more careful. You can't be putting yourself in dangerous situations. You should just avoid glass, stairs, and sharp edges." I sighed.

"I know."

"So whatcha doing here anyway?"

"Getting groceries." I said like it was obvious.

"I know that," he said rolling his eyes. "But why in La Push? Don't you have a better stocked market in Forks?"

"Yes, we do have one, and I don't know about it being better stocked. I need the food here in La Push to cook, and the Forks store was out of the way. Does it bother you that I'm using your store?"

"Of course not, Bella, I was just wondering. Who are you cooking for here?"

"Um, Sam." I knew he hated that I hung out with the 'gang leader'.

"Oh, I guess I should've guessed that, huh?" I didn't say anything, not really sure what to say to that. Luckily Billy came to save me.

"Hello, Bella," he said rolling up to Jacob and I.

"Hey, Billy, how are doing?"

"Still kicking just fine," he said with a serious face. I tried to hold in the laughter. I mean, it wasn't funny that Billy had no use of his legs, but damn the man, he had one hell of a sense of humor. Jacob roared with laughter, bending over in his fit. As soon as Billy cracked a smile and let out a laugh of his own, I let mine out as well. All three of us laughed for a good minute.

"Well, that's good to hear," I got out.

"Seeing Sam today, right, Bella?" Billy asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm fixing lunch."

"For him and the boys?" I glanced over at Jacob. He was suddenly tensed up, clenched jaw, and hard glare toward the floor. I really didn't want him to know about that, I knew he'd disapprove. He just didn't understand the truth, and I hoped he never would. Guess Billy wasn't there for my rescue after all.

"Yeah, enchiladas with black beans and rice."

"Sounds good. Sam's a lucky man."

"Thanks," I said quietly. It seemed that Billy knew everything. I assumed that the Council must have had a meeting. I mean, the Alpha entering a relationship with his imprint was probably a big deal, especially after said imprint was stupid and blind to the truth for months.

"Why is he lucky?" Jacob asked a bit harshly.

"Why Bella and Sam are dating now, Jacob."

"What?! Why?!"

"He really is a great guy, Jacob. I wish you'd believe me."

"Sure, sure, whatever. I mean, when did you and Cullen even break up?"

"A few days ago. And I know how that sounds, but this has been kind of long time in the making. I was just too blind to see it before."

"Right, well, I'm going to go…grab some cereal. See you later, Bells. Dad, I'll meet you up front."

"Jake…" He walked away without a second glance. I knew he wanted me to give him a shot if I was going to be giving one away. That just wasn't going to happen, and the sooner he realized, the better it would be for him.

"Don't worry about him, Bella. He'll be just fine."

"Yeah, well, I don't see how, when all I'm going to do is keeping hurting him."

"He'll learn the truth eventually. He may not like it, but he will have to accept it."

"What are you saying, Billy? Jacob will be like Sam?"

"Just a father's hunch."

"Why do you say he will?"

"Jacob's grown four inches since March. It could just be a good 'ole regular growth spurt, or it could mean that he'll join the pack. Only time will tell."

"But he's still so young."

"He's got Alpha blood in him, Bella. He has the strongest bloodline of any boy on the res. I'm afraid that even if no more…people like the Cullen's come through the area, he'll phase. I believe the gene is already triggered, but like I said, it's a waiting game."

"Oh, well, I hope we have to wait forever. Jacob is too good hearted and innocent to be trapped into that kind of life. He deserves better, they all they do."

"Bella, for us, for the tribe, it's an honor to become a part of the pack. I know it seems like a hard life, it is, but they're protecting the tribe. There is no great job or honor."

"I realize that, but it just seems that the job and honor should be bestowed on people a little older. These boys shouldn't be robbed of their childhoods."

"Maybe not, but this is how it works." I sighed heavily.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'll let you get back to shopping. We need our Alpha and pack well fed."

"Sure, right. See you later."

"Bye, Bella."

I watched Billy roll away down the aisle. Now I had one more thing to worry about. I didn't want to see Jacob lose his future. I finished picking up the last few items I needed. I checked out and made my way to Sam's.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Don't think I forgot about poor Jacob. Life just isn't working out the way he'd like it to. Up next Bella meets the pack. What do you think they'll say and do? Also, I got my Internet back! YAY!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone. I really appreciated the wonderful reviews and PMs. I was happy to hear such positive and encouraging things.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

When I got to Sam's, I was surprised to not see him waiting on the porch for me. I climbed out of the truck and with a couple of bags in hand I walked up to the door. There on the door was a note taped. My name was on the outside of it, so I put the bags down and took the note off the door. It read,

"Bella, sorry I'm not here. Paul caught a scent and we're all checking it out. I left the key on top of the door frame for you. Let yourself in and use whatever you need. Be back as soon as I can. –Sam"

I looked above me and stared. For Sam it wasn't even a reach, but for me it was impossible to get to. I looked around the porch for something to stand on. Nothing. Next I looked for something to try and knock the key down with. Nothing. Great! I stepped off the porch to try and find something, anything that could be of use. Around back of the house I found an old table. It didn't look like it was in the best of shape. I examined the white wicker table and decided it was my only option. I carried it up front and sat it down in front of the door. I carefully stepped up on it, putting my weight on the corners hoping that the legs would hold me. As I grabbed the key I heard a snap. Oh no. And with that the table collapsed and I fell on my butt. _Ouch._

I stood up to discover I now had a very sore tail bone. I checked my arm. All the stitches were still securely in place. I sighed deeply. I couldn't go a day without some sort of accident. I found the key next to one of the detached legs. I slipped it in the door, unlocking it. I grabbed the bags and headed in side. I kind of had a waddle thing going on now. Great, this is a fantastic start to meeting the pack. They probably all think I'm stupid already. Now they'll know how incapable I am as well.

I went out the truck and brought in the feast of the bags. I first started by chopping all the veggies. I got every thing else ready before starting to cook the rice. I then browned the ground beef. I mixed all the ingredients, putting the enchiladas together before throwing the dish into the oven. I finished up the beans and rice while the enchiladas cooked. My tail bone was feeling a lot better. I could at least walk normal.

I tried to open the bag of cheese to add on top once the enchiladas were almost done but it wouldn't budge. I looked around for a pair of scissors only to find none. So I settled for the knife that I had used earlier. After puncturing through the plastic, I pulled the knife, tearing the bag open. As I started to pull the knife away, arms wrapped around me.

"Oh!" I screamed at both the unexpected touch, and also the slip of the knife along my finger. I looked down to see blood. "I'm so sorry. I'll clean it. Sorry." I grabbed a paper towel to clean up on the blood on my finger. The warm arms turned me around.

"Let me see."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been more careful."

"Why are you apologizing, Bella?" Sam asked taking my fingers into his hand.

"The blood?"

"Bella, baby, you don't have apologize for bleeding in this house. You're human, it's allowed."

"I'm s-"

"Don't say you're sorry, Bella. Why is such a small cut such a big deal?" He moved around the kitchen, opening a drawer and pulling something out of it.

"The party. I got a paper cut opening one of my presents. It's what caused Jasper to snap, and why I got thrown into that table." Sam dabbed some cut cleaner on the cut and opened a band aid wrapper.

"Bella, you don't have to worry about that type of thing ever happening again. Not here, not with me, or with the pack," he said securing the band aid on my finger.

"I know." He kissed my finger.

"You can have a normal life now, Bella. Well, as normal as it can be with a werewolf as a soul mate." He leaned down and placed a small kiss on my lips.

"Sam, the Cullen's will still be in my life." He still thought they were leaving like the rumors said.

"What? I thought they were leaving."

"Um, well, they sort of left it up to me."

"And…"

"And Alice, Carlisle, and Esme are going to stay until graduation."

"What about the others?" he growled.

"They're in Alaska, where they plan to stay." He turned and looked out the kitchen window silently.

I was hoping that he wouldn't be upset they were staying. I just didn't want to give them all up at once. I needed to get used to the idea.

"Sam?"

"What, Bella?" he asked without turning from the window.

"Say something, please."

"What would you like me to say, Bella? I don't want them here. I'm sorry that you think of them as family, but I only see them as my enemies."

"But they don't hurt anyone! My birthday was a fluke."

"Bella, them just being here hurts people!" he yelled turning to look me in the eye.

"What are you talking about?"

"As long as they are here, the gene will be triggered. As long a threat looms in the air, more boys will phase."

"Like Jacob?"

"Like Jacob precisely."

"I talked to him and Billy earlier at the store. Billy says he thinks Jacob will phase."

"There's a very good chance, especially if the Cullen's stick around."

"Would he phase if they left?"

"Don't know, Bella. He could still if the gene had already been triggered. Even if they leave and he still phases, them leaving could save other kids from this life."

"So they should leave."

"Yes, Bella, I'm sorry but they should."

"Oh," I said quietly. I didn't want my family to go, but how could I be selfish and knowingly be the reason that more boys would have their lives torn away from them? I couldn't. I'd have to say good bye.

* * *

Sam helped me finish up lunch. We stayed pretty quiet, him only asking what else I needed help with. I was too busy thinking. _Did Alice already know I changed my mind? Did she see me coming over to break the news to the family? Did they already leave? Would I ever see them again? They could still visit, right? _Sam brought me out of my inner questions.

"Bella, they're here."

"Oh okay." I set the plates on the table and followed Sam to the living room. He waited at the door for me. I tucked myself under his arm and into his side. He leaned down and placed a kiss on my head.

"You'll fine, Bella. Don't worry so much."

I nodded and he opened the door. Two tanned, huge guys and one Native American girl stood before me. The slightly taller guy wore a scowl on his face, giving me the stink eye. My guess was that he was Paul. The other guy wore a small grin while attached to the timid looking girl.

"Guys, this is my Bella. Bella, this is Paul, Jared, and Kim."

"Nice to finally meet you, Bella," Kim said quietly.

"Yeah, welcome to the club. Is lunch ready?" Jared asked looking around Sam and me toward the kitchen.

"Yes, lunch is ready. Bella did a great job."

"Sure," Paul said rolling his eyes. "You gonna let us inside?"

"Paul…" Sam said warningly, looking from Paul to me, back to Paul.

"Right, sorry, it's a pleasure to meet you, leech lover," Paul said with false sincerity.

"Paul!" Sam snapped loudly, shaking slightly.

"It's all right, Sam," I said putting a hand on his chest.

"No, it's not. He won't talk to you that way. I've already warned him what would happen."

"Whatever, we all know that whoever it is that decides who the imprints are, they screwed up big time with her. She's a freak. She doesn't belong here. You know all of that, Sam," Paul said looking at me with disgust. Sam's shaking increased. I blinked furiously trying to keep the tears from falling. I heard Sam take a deep breath in.

"Get. Out. Now. Paul!" Paul snorted and left without word.

I could here Sam continuing to take deep breathes. I assumed he was trying to calm himself down. I stayed tucked into his side, burying my face into his chest. He pulled me closer to him. Everyone was quiet for a good five minutes.

"He's an idiot, Bella. Don't pay any attention to him. None of us do," Jared said genuinely. I nodded into Sam, before pulling away.

"We should eat, the food will be getting cold," I said walking toward the kitchen.

It was silent as we all took our seats. I wondered if anyone would share what exactly it was that Paul was talking about. He said I didn't belong here. That hurt more than anything he could have said. La Push felt like the first place that I did belong and for that to not be true, I didn't know where I did belong. I was thinking nowhere. And what if the powers to be did screw up? Would they take it back? Would they give Sam to someone else?

"Why did Paul say what he did?" Sam sucked in a breath.

"Don't worry about it, baby."

"I want to know. Do I not belong here?" Sam turned to me and took my hand in his.

"You are exactly where you belong, next to me. Paul's a moron. He doesn't know shit and he has anger problems. He doesn't like this life he's been handed and he blames the Cullen's for it. He can't touch them because of the treaty, so you get the end of his anger since you knowingly associated with them. Nothing he says matters."

"You still didn't answer my question, Sam."

"You know, we could go. Maybe we should try this another time," Jared suggested. I glanced at them. Both he and Kim looked very uncomfortable.

"No, don't go. I've been looking forward to meeting you guys. I just want to know what he meant. Why does he think I was a mistake? After I know, I'll drop it." Sam stayed quiet looking into my eyes.

"Sam, just tell her. It's not that big of a deal. Paul is the only one to have a real issue with it," Jared told him. I looked at Jared and he gave me an encouraging smile, as did Kim.

"Our ancestors have done a pretty good job of passing down stories, whether through the verbal or written. We don't know a lot about imprinting, but one thing we know is that the imprint has always been of Native ancestry, and more often than not they have been of Quileute blood. You're a first, Bella."

"He's mad because I'm white?" That seemed a little unfair. There wasn't anything I could do about that.

"Marrying within the tribe or surrounding tribes is pretty important, or at least it has been in the past. It's about preserving the future of the tribe, of our people. Marrying outside of the tribe weakens the blood lines. We think that imprinting is somewhat about strengthening the wolf blood lines, so you being white sort of messes with that."

"Okay, but I don't see why that would make him hate me so much. I didn't do anything."

"You're right, Bella, you haven't. Paul thinks I should find a way to break the imprint. He thinks I should find someone else. Being Alpha means that your leader of the tribe. If Jacob doesn't phase and take the role of Alpha as his blood line dictates, then that makes me the chief. A chief has never taken a bride outside the tribe."

"Well, there's a first for everything, right?" Surely just because it had never been done, didn't mean that Sam and I couldn't be together.

"There's a reason it's never been done before, Bella."

"And that would be?"

"It's against tribal law."

"What? Why?"

"It's an old law, Bella. A lot of our laws are old and outdated. Some of them are in some serious need of change. This is one of them. And it will, I'll make sure of it if the time comes when we need it to. If Jacob takes over, we won't have to worry about it."

"So say we wanted to get married tomorrow, we wouldn't be allowed to?" That just seemed ridiculous. How could others deny us that? I was his imprint, didn't that count for something?

"Bella baby, you need to finish high school first before we start talking about getting married. I don't want Charlie coming after me with his shotgun." He was trying to lighten the talk, and I wasn't suggesting that we really get married. I just needed to know.

"I'm just trying to understand. We couldn't now if we wanted to?"

"The tribe wouldn't allow the ceremony in La Push and if we got married off the res, they wouldn't acknowledge it as valid. Bella, you are my future, I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. The moment you express the desire to get married, I'll make it happen."

"I know. I just wanted to fully understand what was happening. I don't like being kept in the dark."

"I know you don't, baby." I took a deep breath in and pushed it all aside. I wanted to enjoy the rest of the day. We enjoyed the meal, though it was then room temperature, losing its warmth during our discussion. After lunch, the four of us headed into the living room. The boys turned some sports game and discussed the players. Kim and I sat on the couch on the far side of the room away from the television.

"So you're a senior, right?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, thank God. What about you?"

"I'm a junior as is Jared."

"What do you guys normally do?"

"As a group?"

"Yeah, as a pack."

"Well, the guys go cliff diving. I just watch. I like two feet on the ground personally. Um, we hang out here a lot. Typically we order pizza or take out. The guys can't cook, and I'm not too much better. Not like you, lunch was great."

"Oh thanks."

"Jared has actually been really looking forward to you joining the group."

"Why's that?"

"Well, for one Sam's been a lot happier sense he imprinted, not so much as a hard ass. He's in much better of mood after seeing or talking to you. But also because we know from Sam that you're a great cook. So Jared has been looking forward to you cooking for us all. We spend so much time here and take out gets a little old after awhile. Especially if you're a girl who actually has to watch what she eats and you're surrounded by three bottomless pits."

"You have a perfect body, babe," Jared said smiling at Kim. "I love every inch of it."

"Thanks, Jared," she said rolling her eyes. He winked at me before turning back to the game. I looked over to see Sam staring at me with a look I couldn't identify. He gave me a small smile before commenting on a play. That got me a little curious.

"How does that work?" I asked Kim wearily.

"What work?"

"The alone time…" Couldn't the other guys see it when they were all phased?

"You want to know how sex works?!" she exclaimed while blushing. Both of the guys snapped their heads in our direction.

"No! That wasn't what I meant." God, that was embarrassing. I knew how sex worked, I just wanted to know if the other guys could see Kim and Jared's intimate alone time.

"Oh, sorry, it's just that you said… You two can go back to your game now. Bella and I are going for a walk." Kim grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the house before either wolf had a chance to say a word.

"Bella, we need to have a wolf girl talk."

* * *

**Author's Note: **What could sweet, quiet Kim have to say? So I decided to reward all my great reviewers, especially after the output of support last chapter that I will send out a **SNEAK PEEK** to those who review this chapter. So if you want a peek at what a 'wolf girl talk' consists of, let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **You guys did totally awesome on reviews this past chapter. They really motivated to finish the chapter quickly. I was going to send this out on Friday, but since you all did such a great job, I'm putting it up early. See what writing reviews will get you! Early chapter and it's extra long! So keep letting me know what you are thinking.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

Kim and I walked toward the beach. We had to get far enough away that the guys wouldn't be able to hear us. This was one conversation that I didn't want anyone to hear. We found some driftwood to sit on.

"Bella, being a wolf girl, it's something special."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I mean that being the soul mate of a werewolf requires some hard work."

"Hard work? I mean I did all right as the girlfriend of a vampire, I think I can handle this."

"True, you have an advantage probably going into this than any normal human girl. Though there will be major differences."

"What are you getting at, Kim?"

"First, privacy doesn't exist anymore. There are no secrets in the pack. You're lucky that Sam is the best at shielding his thoughts, but the guys have gotten pretty good at pulling thoughts out."

"What do you mean pulling thoughts out?" _That doesn't sound too appealing._

"I mean if Paul says, 'Kim' followed by a thought along the lines of 'sex' then Jared's mind automatically makes the mental connection and the memories of us together slip out. Sam doesn't participate in this game, but Jared and Paul do it to each other all the time."

"Well, that sucks for us." I did not want those kind of thoughts shared with the pack. It was bad enough that Sam could slip, but to hear that the other guys purposely made each other slip, that sucked!

"Yeah, pretty much. But hey Sam can give them an Alpha command to shut it, and they can't try and pull out his memories with you."

"Huh, I guess there is that." Thank God that Sam held a lot of the control in this little group.

"Yep," she said smiling.

"But don't you get embarrassed by it?"

"Oh yeah. Do you really think I want other guys knowing exactly what I look like naked, or see me in the act? That would be a big fat no."

"Then how do you deal with it?"

"Honestly, I try and block it out. You can't think about it, Bella. You'll go crazy if you do. You'll start to hesitate at every kiss and every touch. It comes with being a wolf girl. It's a 'if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen' sort of deal."

"Jared and Sam are worth it."

"Yeah, they are," she smiled.

"So what else is there that I should be forewarned about?"

"The sex itself." I blinked a few times. From what I had seen of her, I didn't think Kim was the type to openly talk about sex. At dinner she seemed quiet and reserved. I knew I wasn't one to talk about it. But then again I didn't know much on the subject. Maybe dating a werewolf was more different than I was thinking if she thought it needed to be discussed.

"Well, just get right to the point then."

"It's kind of a key point, Bella."

"How so? Sam and I aren't sleeping together."

"Maybe not yet, but eventually you will, right?" This seemed like it was going to be a very personal conversation.

"I guess, eventually, maybe." This was a concern of mine. With Edward, there was no pressure. He was a virgin, I was virgin, and we were both clueless. That made it a bit less intimidating. But Sam. I knew Sam had to be more experienced. He and Leah, the Native goddess, dated for years. Plus they didn't have to worry about the whole I want to drink you blood thing that Edward and I had going on.

"Have you ever had sex before, Bella?" She asked through curious eyes. I stiffened.

"That's a little personal, Kim," I grounded out.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but it would help in how I describe things to you. If it makes you feel more comfortable, I never had sex before Jared." She said it such a sweet and trustworthy tone. I knew I could trust her, and that we were having this conversation for my benefit, not hers. I went ahead and answered.

"Fine, no I haven't. Edward said it was too dangerous for us to get very far."

"How far did you go? Not just with him, with any guy?" This was a bit embarrassing, though Kim not seeming to have much experience before made it a bit less. Most girls my age had at least had a good heavy make out session. I didn't really want to admit out loud that until a few days ago with Sam that I had never kissed with tongue involved. I had a 13 year old cousin that had been farther than I had. Though, I didn't know if that was a bad thing on my part, or hers.

"Not far, just kissing."

"Well, that could be a good thing."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"You don't have anything to compare it with."

"Isn't that what you would say to someone if they were going to be disappointed if they had had other experience?" That was what people said about two virgins sleeping together; neither was the wiser about how good it was. So it was a good thing for both. Did that mean that it wasn't good with the wolves? I mean Sam radiated of sexy if you asked me. Just looking at him was an experience.

"I guess, but it works the other way too. But what I was referring to was that if you had experience, you would think that it would be the same as with a normal guy, and that's not the case. It's a whole other ball game."

"How would you know though? You said you didn't have experience before."

"You're right. So I guess it's really only a guess. But I think if I had prior experience then it may have freaked me out a little. Well, more than it did."

"Freaked you out how?"

"Everything about it." That was a little too vague for my tastes. _They don't do it like while in wolf form, right? Cause that's going a little far in my opinion._

"What exactly are you referring to, Kim? Because you're making me think some really kinky, weird things."

"Nothing freaky, Bella. Well, for one the size."

"Size?"

"Bella, they're large everywhere if you get what I'm saying. Jared told me that Paul jokes it's natures way of making up the shitty life that was given to them."

"How large are we talking?"

"Like sex isn't too great the first few times because you're still adjusting. Maybe if we'd had had sex before with regular sized guys it wouldn't be so bad, but starting fresh, well, like I said you have to adjust."

"Oh, that doesn't sound nice." I wasn't one to be into the pain is pleasure thing.

"It is once you get used to their size," Kim said with an encouraging smile. "Then it gets really good."

"Huh, well, that's something to think about."

"Yeah, that's just the first thing."

"Okay…" I was a little worried about what else there could be.

"So next after the shock of the size is the actual act. There a few things you should know. First, I suggest turning on the air conditioner to about 63 degrees."

"That's pretty low, Kim."

"It will save your life, trust me. Think about their body temp. Then think about having that temp surround every inch of your body. Add the exertion of physical activity and it gets might hot and sweaty. If you don't want to pass out, I suggest turning the A/C down."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"Yes, it does. Let's see, what's next? Oh, so this is something to keep in mind. They're wolves."

"Yeah, I got that already. I don't see what that has to do with-"

"It does, believe me. Wolves have a strong need to both mate and be dominate. Honestly, they're horny little buggers. And if you don't speak up, things can get a little rough. Jared tends to forget how strong he is when he gets too excited. Don't get me wrong, it's great sometimes. It can be really exciting in the moment, but the bruises afterward, not so much."

"Bruises?" I squeaked out.

"Not bad ones, just they get carried away a little, they don't mean to. It's just their inner wolf coming out to play." She said so nonchalantly that I couldn't believe it.

"All right, moving on."

"Right, so like I said, horn dogs are what they are. Jared's appetite for sex is exactly like his appetite for food. Endless. But once a month, it's even worse."

"Once a month when?" Surely she wasn't talking about a woman's already least favorite part of the month.

"When you're ovulating is when he gets the horniest. Don't ask me how they know, Sam guesses it's some sort of hormone or pheromone that we send out. Anyway, that little inner wolf has the need to reproduce the next generation, and that is the best time for it to happen. So beware, if you aren't ready for a baby, be very careful that part of the month."

"Are you serious?" Surely she was yanking my chain.

"Yep, I am. It's all part of the werewolf soul mate thing. Paul doesn't have the same issue with the girls that he dates. It's only an imprint thing. Sam has amazing control though in all other aspects of the werewolf thing, so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Anyway, this leads into the next thing. Protection."

"Condoms?" I mean what was so hard about that?

"Nope, well, at least they don't think. No one really wants to take the risk. It's said in the legends that the wolves with their imprints were very fertile. So there is the question if a condom can stop their little guys or not. Plus there is the issue of heat. Heat weakens condom over time and the guys have that real high body temperature, so wearing one may just prove useless. Just to be sure, you should go on the pill. Even if their little swimmers get past the barrier, if there's no egg to fertilize, then there's no baby to worry about."

"Okay, that's good to know." _God, this is crazy. As if a normal girl doesn't have to worry about getting pregnant. I have to worry about freaky, super powered wolf sperm impregnating me._

"Oh and then there's mar- You know what, Sam will probably want to talk to you about that one, so yeah."

"Mar- what?"

"Um, it's just another imprint thing. Sam will talk to you about. I guess the last thing about sex that I think you should now is that they are like the energizer bunny."

"The energizer bunny? They never stop going?"

"Exactly. Most guys, from what I hear, need like a recharge time, you know before going for another round. Not our guys. They can get it back up and running in no time. Sometimes it's nice, other times you just want some damn sleep. So you need to learn the word 'no'. Or better yet, make him learn the word 'no'. Jared tries using his little puppy expression, but don't let it fool you if Sam pulls one of his own. You are the one in control, even if you let them think him are."

"I'm the one in control, are sure about that? I mean, Sam's Alpha."

"That is the beauty of imprinting, Bella. It allows us to have almost complete control over our wolves. They want nothing more than to make us happy. So if we stand firm that sex is not what we currently want, then they won't push. In fact Jared is perfectly happy with cuddling, though he would never actually admit it. He's happy with it, because I am. Sam will be the same way. If you want something, he'll give it to you. You are the one in control, Bella. As Paul would put it, we own their balls, take away their manhood." She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't say it quite that way, but he's right to a certain extent."

"Okay, so I'm in control of the energizer bunny?" This sounded a little ridiculous.

"Oh, I have one more thing to go along with the energizer bunny thing. Make sure to eat and drink before and afterward. You'll need all the energy you can get, so go for high calorie food. There are these little energy bars at the store, they help for in between goes. I keep a few in the nightstand by my bed."

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope, you do what you gotta do, Bella. If you don't want to pass out from lack of energy and nutrients, eat. I learned that one the hard way. I woke up to a very worried and freaked out Jared, a confused and concerned Sam, and a laughing, jackass Paul."

"You actually passed out? Like during sex?"

"Well, yeah, just the once. It was only like the fourth time that we'd done it, and it was the first time that I was really up for a second round back to back with the first. I had skipped breakfast and lunch that day. I was low on nutrients, energy, and that other stuff you need to keep going and all that exertion pushed me over the edge. I passed out and Jared freaked. When I didn't immediately wake up, he called Sam, who brought Paul with him. I woke up light headed and once I ate something, I felt completely fine, just really embarrassed."

"I can see why you keep the energy bars by the bed." I never imagined that there was so much to consider when entering a relationship with Sam. I wouldn't let any of this keep me from being with him, but damn. I couldn't imagine having to learn all this on my own. Poor Kim.

"Yeah, we don't want a repeat of that ever again. Paul wouldn't shut up until Sam finally had to give him an Alpha command." I could believe that.

"Thank you, Kim. For sharing all this with me."

"Oh, it's not a problem, Bella. Really, I'm just so happy to have someone to share all this with. The guys are great, but it will be nice having some female company. I never had too many friends before, since I'm pretty quiet normally. And the few I had, well, it gets hard having friends when you have to keep so much from them. I'm sure you understand that."

"I get it exactly. So anything else, you not having to do with sex?"

"Oh sure. Being with Jared is like a learning experience every day. Um, let's see, I guess the biggest thing is just to be there for them. Their job can be stressful sometimes, and you just have to support Sam, especially with him being Alpha. He has a lot more responsibilities. They live a life of lies when it comes to most people, so having you to be honest with, it means a great deal to them. Many people on the reservation think of them as a dangerous, low life gang and as you know, they couldn't be farther from that. People talk, and it can be disheartening sometimes. I mean they risk their lives to protect their tribe, and yet they have to hear the rude comments being said behind their backs. Being there, understanding, listening, whatever they need. Imprinting makes them become whatever we want them to be. I'd had a crush on Jared since like forever, so I jumped at the chance to be with him. But Sam was a friend for you for a long time before you needed him as something else. They do many things for us, but sometimes it's what we can do and be for them that are the most important. We keep their hearts and souls safe and whole."

"Why do you think they imprint?"

"Well, as Sam sort of told you, and as many of the Council think, it's simply a mating thing, to pass on the gene to the best suited. But I think it's more than that. And I especially think that now with you. I mean if it was just a mating thing, then why didn't Sam imprint on Leah? She has a very strong bloodline in the Quileute tribe. They would have had a almost certain chance of passing on the wolf gene together, strong, powerful wolves at that."

"Yeah, I've sort of wondered the same thing. She just seems sort of perfect for Sam. He says that had flaws in their relationship, but still, it seems like they would have been better suited for one another. And now with this marriage law thing, I have to really believe that my first assumption was right."

"Oh no, don't think that, Bella. Sam would never give you up. You don't know how much he's changed since you came along. Like I said, since you, I think more now than ever that there is more to imprinting than puppies. Jared said that after phasing, but when he was still with Leah that he still pretty stoic. He was always serious and seemed to be hurting with all the lies to Leah. After Leah, and since I've been around, he's been even more stoic. He never seemed to show emotion, he just lived for the pack. I mean the boys used to joke that his fur was black like his heart."

"Sam's not like that at all. How could he have changed that much? And what about the community center?"

"That was one of the few places that I'd ever seen Sam smile before imprinting on you. And yes, he could change that much. Being a wolf changed him, made him put up all sorts of walls and barriers. Walls to his heart, walls to others, and even walls to himself. You broke all those down and let him be _Sam_ again, not just the Alpha of the pack. Trust me when I say that the man in that house is far different than the one I met earlier this year when I was getting this whole werewolf thing explained to me. Actually, I was slightly scared of him if I going to be honest. I mean it took months for me to see the man smile. That's imprinting, Bella."

"So they imprint so that they can be themselves?"

"Sort of, yeah. Plus, we give them something worth fighting for. Someone to come home to. We make them stronger."

"You believe that?"

"Yeah, I do. I believe all of it. There's not an imprinting manual, though there certainly should be. We have to figure it out ourselves as we go. I think we've already learned so much since it first happened to Jared and I. And don't worry, Sam will figure out the marriage law too. Besides, you have a few years to worry about that anyway."

"You're right, we do. I've never been a fan of young marriage. It's just the idea that I can't seems so…suffocating. No, that's not the word. I don't what it makes me feel, but I don't like it."

"It'll work out."

"Paul sure doesn't want it to."

"Paul's an idiot. His dad is one of those stuck in the past, in an 'us versus them' world. It's not an excuse, but it is a factor in the way Paul thinks. He'll get over it. You just got to hold your ground with him. He likes to push people's buttons. You know how animals can smell fear, don't let Paul know he's getting to you. That's the best advice I can give you. That and stand up for yourself. Don't let him think you're weak. Prove to him that you can be the Alpha's mate."

"How do I do that?"

"Don't know exactly. Look for an opportunity and go for it. I can tell you this though, if the pack is united in thinking that the tribal law should be thrown out, the Council will be much more likely to do so."

"So I need him?"

"If you want the Council of Elders to let you and Sam marry and still let him keep Alpha title, yeah, sadly you do."

"Great, just great." I sighed. This was a crappy development. "I'll just have to win him over with my charm. Or maybe just my cooking since I don't really have charm. Does he like pies?"

"Oh yeah, I think cherry is Paul's favorite. That or blueberry, I can't remember."

"I'll start small and work my way up."

"That sounds good. So before we head back, do you have any more questions?"

"Um, well, how long was it before you and Jared…you know?"

"Before we had sex?" I nodded. "Well, don't judge me, but only like a month. I mean I'd basically been in love with him sense like sixth grade, and then he tells me I'm his soul mate. I was kind of a goner."

"No that's- um, it's…wow, that soon. Not judging, it's just that I was with Edward much longer than that and all we had were a few chaste kisses. Though Sam and I did pass that line in just the first few minutes, hell before he even told me I was his imprint. I guess a vampire relationship moves at a different spend than a werewolf one."

"Well, if he was afraid of killing you, then yeah, I would think it would."

"Right. What's really the point of waiting when you know you have that person forever?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I know that me and Jared are forever. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. There's no reason to not start forever now."

"I see your point. Let's head back if there is nothing else."

"Nope, that's all. Who knows what trouble the boys have gotten into?"

We headed back toward Sam's. When we were within ear shot we could hear the yelling. I looked at Kim and she looked back with wide eyes. Instantly we both started to run toward the house.

* * *

**Author's Note:** After you leave your thoughts and opinions of the chapter and story in a review, check out Team SOB's contest. Voting is running for the Rain Scene Contest through February 7th. Votes can be made at:

http://www(.)fanfiction(.)net/u/2046940


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **So grad school has been kicking my butt the last two weeks. And it looks that way for at least the next two as well, so bear with me on lack of updates. I've had a couple of not signed in or PM blocked reviewers asking about _Following Fate, _so I'll answer here. I won't be updating on it until I finish at least on of the stories I have currently going. Most likely it will be _My Perfect Match_ that will finish up first. So look for updates on _FF_ sometime around the middle of March, maybe.

So I haven't ever had two points of views in one chapter before, but I'm doing it in this one. I wasn't going to and I actually was about to upload the chapter when I read a new review requesting to hear the argument between Sam and Paul from Sam's POV. So **Beautiful-Liar13**, I hope you enjoy the first part of the chapter. I actually want to thank you. I think it makes the chapter much more complete.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

**Sam's Point of View:**

Jared and I sat rendered speechless as our imprints left the house. One second Jared and I are enjoying the game and the next Kim is half-yelling, 'You want to know how sex works?!' That certainly had Jared and my attentions. Before I could find words, Kim was dragging my Bella out the door. I was lost in my thoughts when Jared interrupted.

"Looks like you may be getting lucky sooner than you thought." _Is that what that little chat would mean? _I fully expected Bella and me to take our time, but if she wanted to speed things up, I wasn't one to complain.

"You think so?" I hated asking a guy four, almost five years younger than me about sex. It just felt weird. For chrissakes I was Alpha, he should be the one asking the questions.

"Sure, if she's expressing curiosity, then that's a good thing. Kim will give her the low down, I'm sure. We don't need anymore passing out."

"No, we don't need that. I pretty sure my heart would stop if that happened while we were… Still I don't know. I don't think Bella would be ready this soon. Yeah, we've been hanging out together for the past couple of months, but we only became a couple two days ago. Bella wouldn't- she's just not like that."

"Dude, she's asking Kim, so she must have already thought about it. 'Sides, Kim wasn't one to rush either, but when you know it's forever, there's no reason to wait or pace yourselves. I'd say you would be getting some very soon. Which I find a good thing because-" My growl cut him off. "Not because I want a peek, God, Sam. It will be good, because you've been a little tense the past two days." He gave me a knowing look.

I had been tense. Every second she wasn't there, I wanted her more. And it wasn't just that I needed her presense. Getting a taste of her, knowing how my body reacted to hers, the wolf inside wanted a hell of a lot more. I felt anxious for more time with her always now. More so than before, it was starting to get to me. Which wasn't good, we would have to have a lot of time apart in the coming years. She had to finish senior year, then college. Oh how I dreaded college. To get a good education she'd have to go to at least Seattle and that was a four hour drive. Fours years of that would not be fun. But I would do it, for her I would do anything.

"I knew I wanted her before, but after kissing her and holding her, damn the pull got stronger by ten folds. I constantly have to reign myself in."

"And now you know why I'm always so anxious to get back to my Kimmie."

"Yeah, I do."

"Good, maybe you'll ease up on the weekend patrols then. Give them all to Paul."

"Oh he'll be getting them all right, the little bastard. Speaking of him, I think I'll have that little chat with him while the girls are gone. I don't want to have to interrupt time with Bella later to deal with him."

I got off the couch and headed for the kitchen. I grabbed the phone off the hook and dialed the little fucker's number.

"Hello?" a sweet, reserved voice answered. Paul's mother.

"Hello, Mrs. Wildwood, is Paul there?"

"Sam? Yes, he's in his room. How are?"

"Yes, ma'am it's me. I'm doing fine. How 'bout yourself?"

"Just great, thanks for asking. Shall I get him for you?"

"Could you just tell that I need him at my house as soon as possible?"

"Sure, Sam, that's not a problem. I'll go up and tell him now."

"Thanks," I said before hanging up the phone. I still couldn't figure out how such as sweet woman had raised such an angry asshole. I went back into the living room and enjoyed the rest of the game with Jared as we waited. A few minutes passed and I heard the back door open.

"You rang, your majesty?" Paul patronized from the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

"Shut up, Paul. What exactly were you thinking earlier? I told you to be nice to her and to keep that mouth of your shut." I stood up to face the little twerp. Jared stood as well, but kept his position by the other couch.

"I was just being upfront, since apparently no one else was going to."

"She doesn't need to worry about those things. In fact I want you to apologize about what you said to Bella the next time you see her. Are we clear?" Paul took a few steps forward.

"Yeah sure, but what things are you talking about specifically? What doesn't she need to know, that you can't marry her, Sam. 'Cause you can't, it's law. And there's a reason for the law. If you marry her, the tribe will lose respect for its leader. And it's not a racist thing either, so don't try saying that's why I'm doing this. It's just the way things should be. The chief can't have a white bride, Sam. How does that look to the people? Bad is how. It looks like the women of the tribe aren't good enough for you. Do you know what kind of field day the res will have when they hear that you're even just _dating_ a white girl? God, there would be like an uprising if you actually married one. Everyone on this reservation fully expects for you to in the end get back with Leah and make the nice little tribal leader couple that the people want to see."

"Well, that's not happening, Paul. I can see where people might get that impression, that I think Bella is better than a res girl. It is based on a somewhat fact after all. But I don't think she's better as a _person_, per say, but she _is_ better for _me._"

"People aren't going to accept it, Sam."

"They'll have to." _That or they could just mind their own business._

"Everyone is just going to turn their noses at her. No one will accept her; they'll all turn the other way in the store. They'll talk about her behind or back, or shit, even to her face. She'll be the freak of the tribe, Sam. She'll leave you after she gets enough of the rejection and cruelty. You should just end it now before it goes too far." That pushed me too far and Jared saw that too. He jumped from his position on the sideline to block me from attacking Paul. Bella wouldn't leave me. If she did, I'd die without her. Then what? If Jacob didn't phase they would have Jared or Paul as Alpha, as chief. Good fucking luck with that if it turns out to be Paul.

"Don't you fucking say any of that shit to her, Paul. You hear me. Not a word of this mess to her." I didn't want her to hear a word of this. Too much of it actually made sense. Paul actually had good points. People wouldn't be very receptive of her, not when they all wanted Leah and me together. And that would never happen, with or without Bella and the imprint. Leah and I weren't meant to be. I realized this before Bella walked into Billy's backyard.

"Shit, Sam, she'll soon figure out that she doesn't belong here."

"Next to me is where she belongs. And it's where she'll stay."

"Tribal law says you can't marry her. Don't you think she'll want that eventually?"

"Screw the fucking law. I'll get it changed if I have to."

"Face it, Sam. People here aren't going to accept her."

Before I could say more, my front door opened and my imprint was taking in the scene with wide eyes. I hoped that she hadn't heard too much.

* * *

**Bella's Point of View:**

As we approached Sam's house we could make out some of the words.

"Don't… fucking… Paul. You hear…"

"Shit, Sam…belong here."

"Next to me…"

"Tribal law says…."

"Screw… law."

"People…accept her."

Kim and I burst through the door to Sam's. All three of the guys in the living room stood. Sam was closest to the door, with Jared blocking Sam's way to Paul. All three heads snapped over to us.

"Bella, Kim, you should stay out of the house while we finish up here," Sam spoke without taking his eyes off of Paul.

"No please, stay. I'm done here. I can't listen to this crap anymore," Paul said heading toward the kitchen. I assumed he was going to use the back door.

"Stop!" Sam sounded loudly. Paul's steps halted immediately. "You have something to say before you leave for patrol."

"I'm…" Paul said trailing off to low for me to understand.

"I couldn't hear you, so I know she couldn't," Sam growled.

"I apologize for my rudeness." He sure didn't sound sorry. Of course I doubted that Paul was the type to actually apologize and mean it.

"That wasn't it."

"Do you want me to lie to her? I can't apologize for the words I spoke because I meant every single one of them."

"You have patrol every night this week. Now get out," Sam uttered calmly.

Paul snorted. "Whatever." The young wolf went through the kitchen and out the back. The door closed with a slamming sound that filled the small house. The four of us stayed where we were standing and were silent for a moment.

"That went well." I looked dumbfound at Jared.

"It did?" I questioned.

"Well, yeah, no blood and no phasing in the house. With Paul, that equals a success." _Wow, okay, that's good to know._

"Bella, if Paul is ever around when I'm not, I want you to get away from him," Sam said walking toward me.

"You don't think he'd actually come after me, do you?"

"Come after you, no. But I do know he loses his anger very easily. If he loses it, I don't want you anywhere near him," he said wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Okay, I'll avoid Paul."

"Thank you."

"So did you two girls have a nice chat?" Jared asked while wiggling his eyebrows. I instantly blushed. I knew they didn't hear the conversation, but they had heard Kim before we left.

"Jared, don't harass the girls," Sam relied for me. Sam bent down to rest his head on top of mine. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What was being said before Kim and I got back?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, mé'oonna," he murmured into my hair. "Come over here with me," Sam said lifting me up and carrying me over to the couch, witting with me on his lap. He buried his face into my hair at the base of my neck. I heard him breathe in deeply. "I won't let anyone or anything keep us apart. That's all you need to know." He started to leave small kisses up and down my neck. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation his warm, wet lips left behind. Then Sam sucked gently on my neck and the quiet moan escaped my mouth.

"All right, looks like it's time for us to go," Kim rushed out. My eyes flew open to take them in. I had honestly forgotten all about them in just that couple of minutes. Sam apparently had that kind of affect on me. I looked to see Kim trying to pull Jared toward the front door. He instead stood tall looking flabbergasted at Sam and me. I wondered what that was about when Sam began to suck again, a little lower this time. Clearly Kim and Jared's presences did not bother Sam at all as he continued his assault on my neck. Every few seconds Sam would murmur sweet nothings against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

"Jared, why won't you leave?" Kim whined.

"I've never seen Sam so…loving?" Jared muttered in puzzlement. It sounded as if he didn't know if 'loving' was the right word he was looking for. His head tilted as if the slightly different view might help him better understand the sight he was taking in.

"Come _on_, Jared." Kim pulled a little harder, at this point she was using all her body weight to pull him and still Jared stood motionless. Okay, enough of giving a show. We had guests and we were being very rude.

"Sam, maybe we should st-" I was cut off my Sam's mouth connecting with my own.

"Jared, I got a new box of energy bars at the store yesterday." From the corner of my eye I could see Jared's head snap toward his imprint.

"Yeah?" he asked with a big grin. Sam must have noticed my attention being taken away from him. A hand came to the side of my face and pulled me closer to him while he quietly growled.

"Yep, sure did. How 'bout we leave Sam and Bella now?"

"Bye, Sam. It was nice to meet you, Bella. Later." I heard the door open and then close shut.

"Finally," Sam mumbled against my lips. He worked his way back down my neck, using his tongue to leave a trail blazing. His hands had wandered down to my waist. Finding my mouth again, his kisses become harder and more demanding. His hands slid up my stomach, under my shirt. I instinctively jerked away as his hands found my breast.

"St-st-stop," I squeaked out. He froze under me, his eyes slowing opening, searching my face.

"Bella, what's wrong, baby?"

"I'm sorry, I just- I guess your hands surprised me."

"Did I go too far? I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to go past where you wanted."

"It's just that I never…and you…never mind," I said shaking my head embarrassed. It was one thing to have a discussion of this topic with Kim, another female, one with only recent experience. Talking with Sam about sex was not on my list of fun things to do.

"What, baby? Talk to me, Bella."

"I just thought we were moving slow."

"We are."

"That wasn't slow to me."

"It wasn't?"

"No, Sam."

"Oh, okay then. You set the pace, Bella. Just let me know if I, uh, cross any lines."

"All right, thanks." He cleared his throat.

"Just so I'm clear and I don't cross the lines again, can I know what the lines are exactly?"

"Oh, um, well, they're…" What were the lines? I wasn't really sure myself. We'd been dating for approximately two days so I think that hands only on top of the clothing would be ideal.

"Bella, what do you feel comfortable with?"

"Clothes stay on and in tact."

"So my hands under your shirt…"

"Crossing the line."

"Oh," he said hanging his head. "All right, sorry then. I'll keep a better hold of myself."

"I'm sorry, you probably think I'm a prude or something," I muttered. No doubt beautiful Leah had pleasured him eagerly.

"No Bella, I told you the other day that I wanted us to go slow and do this right, and I meant it. I just guess what we think is a slow pace is a little different. And that's fine, I just needed to know."

"I want to move things along with us, I just…" _am scared of my mind._ I finished the sentence on in my head.

"What, Bella? You just, what?"

"I'm nervous," I said quietly.

"Why, baby?" he asked confused. _It's now or never, Bella. Just tell him the truth._

"Because I- you're experienced, and I'm…not."

"Are you talking about sex?"

"As well as pretty much everything else," I muttered.

"Bella, how much- uh, what line have you been to before?"

"I'd say a few minutes ago was by far the farthest line I've been to."

"Oh!" He said surprised. Sam looked away at the wall with a face of puzzlement.

"So you've never…um, never mind. So, yeah, slow speed of pace then."

"Please." Sam continued to stare at the wall silently. He was probably disappointed in what he got for an imprint. Maybe the powers at be really did screw up. A man like Sam needed a woman could give him everything, including every pleasure he desired. I decided that I should just leave. I sat up and smoothed my clothes down before walking toward the door. I grabbed my keys from the table by the door. They jingled a little as I picked them up; the sound was enough to pull Sam out of his stupor.

"Wait, Bella. Where are you going, baby?" I kept my eyes on the door.

"You weren't saying anything, so I thought I would go."

"No, don't go. Please stay, mé'oonna."

"Why weren't you saying anything?" I asked not moving from my spot in front of the door.

"I was just processing, Bella. I don't know what I thought before. I guess I really just tried to not think about you being with other guys, period. I never really thought that leeches could, you know, have sex with humans, but I- that doesn't mean that the two of you couldn't do other things, or that there wasn't a guy back in Phoenix that you were…close with. Anyway, I just blocked all those kind of thoughts about you. You were my imprint, and thinking that way would have driven me mad. Shit, I think I'm rambling. See what you do to me, Bella. I turn into a damn pussy with you around."

"Then I guess I should go then. I won't bother you again."

"Bella, what are talking about? You aren't bothering me and I don't want you to take a single step closer to that damn door."

"But you're the Alpha, I shouldn't make you feel like a…well, you know."

"Bella baby, you should make me feel that way occasionally. You make me feel things that I've never felt before. But that's a good thing. A leader shouldn't be so closed off like I was before. Ever since I imprinted, I've been much more open, and that lets me connect with the pack better. I'm a better Alpha with you in my life. I swear by that. Now get back over and let's talk about this little revelation of yours."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, we do. We should tell each other thing important, right? This clear bothers you, so it's important." He wasn't telling me what Paul said, but I didn't think that was the time to bring it up.

I sighed and dragged myself over to the couch. Sam pulled me back into his lap. I curled myself into his warmth.

"So what exactly bothers you, my Bella?"

"Your reaction."

"My reaction, how so?

"You didn't move for like five minutes, Sam, you just stared at the damn wall and didn't say anything."

"Well, I apologize, I was in shock, and I was processing the information. I was trying to figure out exactly how I felt about it."

"And what did you come up with?"

"I don't know how this sounds, but I am so fucking ecstatic to hear that you haven't been with another guy in any sort of way. The imprint and being a wolf, it makes me very territorial at times. Knowing that your body is mine and only mine, well, it makes the wolf inside me very happy. I had trouble with that, because I felt wrong for being so damn happy. I mean, for one, it's your body and if you felt strongly enough for someone before meeting me than, that's your business. I shouldn't feel a claim over you or your body that makes me hate the idea of you being with another guy. Plus, as you've already pointed out, I'm more experienced. It shouldn't bother me so much when I myself have…well, you know."

"You shouldn't feel wrong about your feelings or guilty or whatever. For one, if Edward would have let us, we would have gone farther. He just feared for my safety to move passed chaste kisses."

"I guess I have a reason to thank the blo- Edward." I appreciated his correction.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad now. You're my soul mate, and I want you to have me only."

"Bella, I wish I could- that I would have waited so that I could give the same thing to you, but-" He couldn't think that way. What if's were not a good thing to dwell on.

"No, Sam, it's all right. You thought you were going to be with Leah forever at the time. You had no reason to wait. Well, that's if there were no other girls…" _Has he been with others? He and Leah have been broken up for awhile, just because he didn't date didn't mean that he couldn't have… Oh my, that thought makes me sick._

"No, there were no others. Just Leah, I swear. And there will never be another after you. You know that, right?"

"I know," I said quietly. It still didn't change the fact that he'd still had Leah before. I was so convinced that the Indian goddess would have been better than I could have ever hoped to have been.

"So why do you sound so depressed, Bella? A future with me sound that bad, or is there something else still bothering you?"

"Of course a future with you doesn't sound bad. I want you forever, I've told you that."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm just- what if- what if I'm not any good at that stuff?" He snorted. I looked at him shocked only to have him burst out laughing.

"Bella, God, just looking at you gets my blood boiling. Every touch, every kiss, I want more. You have no idea what you do to my body. It likes _everything_ you do. You don't have to worry about me not liking anything you do, Bella. Plus, we have all the time in the world to let our bodies get to know each other, to find what we like and don't like. We'll learn together….at your pace of course."

"Are you just trying to make me feel better?" He couldn't actually think I would fall for such a line.

"Bella…" he sighed as he took my mouth with his. He reached for one of my hands and rested over his heart. I could feel it thumping steadily. He licked my lower lip and I opened my mouth for him to explore. My free hand moved to the back of his neck, soon running through his hair. I was getting so lost in the kiss that I forgot about everything else. He pulled away from my mouth just enough to speak, his lips still brushing against mine.

"Feel that? Feel my heart," he said laying his own hand over mine that rested over his heart. I concentrated on my hand. I could feel his heart and it was pumping so much faster than before the kiss. His heart was racing now. "That's what you do to me without even trying. I might go into cardiac arrest when you actually start to try." Okay, so maybe I belived him. I didn't think he could intentionally make his heart beat faster on command. It was just hard to believe that plan old me could do that to him. He planted a small kiss on my lips. "You, my mé'oonna, drive my body crazy."

He had called me that a few times that day. Each time I wondered the maning of it, but had never really had the chance to ask. "What does that mean? You've said a couple of times today?"

"It means sweetheart or an equal equivalent of that."

"I like it. I like the way it sounds."

"I like saying. I like that I can call you all these things that I've been dying to call you for months now."

"Do you think you could tell me what this means now?" I asked holding up my wrist. The day celebrating my birthday with Sam felt like forever ago, and yet it was only a week before. All week I was dying to know what the leather bracelet that Sam had crafted for me said. I even tried to cheat and Google it. Problem was, so few people knew the Quileute language, Google was no help.

"I think I could do that? Do you have any guesses?"

"No not really. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Well, in Quileute, it says, 'Que Quowle.'"

"And in English…"

"Stay with me, forever." I looked into his eyes and I wouldn't leave him. My heart belonged to him and though I had a feeling we had a tough road ahead of us, I would stay with him forever.

"Happily."

* * *

**Author's Note: **So I stole Jacob's line in the New Moon movie. Oh well! I was actually trying to find a place to do a translation of something like 'My heart belongs to you.' But after wasting A LOT of time trying to do so with a few different Native languages online, I gave up. I figured ya'll would just want the chapter regardless of what the bracelet said. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought of it.

Oh and side note--- mé'oonna is 'sweetheart' but in Cheyenne.


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

After I finally forced myself from Sam's embrace and a couple of hours kissing, I left La Push. Instead of going home, I pulled down the narrow drive that was once a daily drive. Waiting on the steps was my best friend. I climbed out of the truck and walked toward Alice.

"I wanted to hope you would change your mind on the drive. Guess that's the drawback of seeing into the future, you don't get to hope for things you know won't be true," she said dejectedly.

"Alice, you have to know that I want you to stay. If it wasn't for the impact you have on the wolves, I would beg you to stay. But I can't do that, not knowing that young boys are losing their freedom, their lives to becoming shape-shifters."

"I understand, Bella, really I do. You're a selfless person. Almost to a fault, I add. We can still stay in contact if you want."

"If I want? More like what I need. You're my best friend, Alice. I couldn't stand to not be in communication with you. Maybe we could even meet in Port Angeles every once in a while to hang out. I'll even let you take me shopping," I smiled sadly.

"That sounds good. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun. Anyway, I should be going. Esme and Carlisle already headed out."

"Oh, okay. Well, say good bye to them for me."

"I will. Don't worry, Bella, they don't blame. We all understand you're reasoning."

"Sure, sure."

"Here," she said handing me a piece of paper. "This has all my contact information on it. So you can write, email, call, whatever you want, whenever you want."

"Okay, thanks."

"I'll always love as a sister, Bella. So get that frown off your face. Maybe this will be better for you. You can have a stronger relationship with your wolf, without some meddling vampires around so much," she said with a small laugh.

"Perhaps you're right. I know Sam would feel a lot better with a little more distance between you guys and La Push. I'll miss you though, all of you. Send my regards to Edward, please?"

"You know I will. Stay safe," she said hugging me. She pulled away and in a flash she was gone.

* * *

The rest of the week went pretty smoothly. I had to work after school on Monday and on Wednesday. Sam went ahead and scheduled himself to run patrols those nights since we would already not being seeing each other. Tuesday night Sam came over and ate dinner with Charlie and me.

I was still finishing up in the kitchen when the door bell rang. I put down the knife to get it, but Charlie called out, stopping me.

"I've got it, Bells." I resumed cutting up the tomato for the salad. I could still hear them in the door way.

"Hello, Sam, come on in."

"Thanks, Chief Swan."

"Sam, really call me Charlie."

"All right, Charlie."

"Bella is finishing up now. You want a beer, Sam?"

"Uh, sure, but I'll just have one. I've got to drive home."

"Good man. " I heard them walking into the kitchen. Charlie headed straight to the fridge, while Sam walked toward me.

"Hey, baby," he murmured into my neck from behind me. I turned around in his arms to hug him.

"Hey, yourself," I said softly, smiling up at him. We were staring into each other's eyes when I heard a throat cleared. I jumped slightly and looked at Charlie. He had an eyebrow raised. I had previously dodged his question about Sam and mine's relationship.

"So, Sam, you've been spending quite a bit of time with my daughter lately, even more than usual."

"Yes, sir, I have."

"And any particular reason for that?" Sam looked down at me with his eyebrows raised. I nodded letting him know that it was okay for Charlie to know.

"Well, we've started dating, Charlie. I hope that you're okay with that."

"Sure, it's fine, just fine. About time if you ask me."

"Dad," I whined.

"What? Sam's a great guy, a guy that a father can approve of." Inside I found it slightly humorous. Many fathers across the world would want a guy for their daughter to take care of her financially. Edward could do that without blinking. But that wasn't the most important thing, not like my emotional welfare was. Money isn't everything, happiness was. And that was what Sam would be able to give me better than any other man out there. I was happy that Charlie understood that.

We sat down to eat just after that. Charlie had an approving smile on his face the entire meal. Actually, I think Charlie talked more during that one dinner with Sam than with Edward in the entire time we had dated. I loved that Charlie approved of Sam so heartedly. I had feared that with Sam being with a few years old that Charlie might approve of us being friends, but not in a serious relationship. Apparently Billy had long ago inducted Charlie into Team Sam. And for that I was thankful.

But I started to feel a little left out of the conversation. I didn't have much to say about sports, home repairs, or safety of the area. As I started to play with my left over peas, Sam reached over and took my hand under the table. He squeezed it before starting to rub circles with his thumb. It was a comfort, and any contact with him always put me at ease.

* * *

Thursday after school I went straight to Sam's house. We cooked dinner together. Sam manned the grill outside for the steaks and potatoes, while I handed the cream corn and green beans inside. Jared and Kim joined us for the meal. It was nice having them over. Paul was supposedly on patrol and couldn't make it. I had a sneaky suspicion that he wasn't even invited. I let it go easily, wanting to enjoy a drama free night with the other imprinted couple. I sat amazed at how well they interacted with one another. As one shifted, the other did too to be closer. Like planets, and the sun, the orbited around one another. They existed as equals as they appeared to be each other's suns.

I hadn't come up with a make Paul accept Bella' plan yet, but I was constantly thinking or rather plotting up ways to win the angry wolf over. But that worry was put aside by a bigger one.

Friday was the day that I was anxious about. Sam and I were going over to his mother's house for dinner. Kim had warned me on Thursday about her.

"Honestly, she's a nice woman, very kind to those she likes. But that's the problem, she can be tough to impress. Well, at least when it comes to Sam that is. She raised Sam pretty much on her own. He's her baby and she only wants the best for him."

"Okay, so what can I do?"

"Um, well, again if I'm being honest…" I nodded wanting the truth both good and bad. "There's nothing you _can_ do."

"What does that mean?"

"She was a Leah fan. Like a huge Leah fan. Like she still thinks that the two of them will get married once Sam gets whatever it is that's in his system out."

"So she doesn't know that he's a wolf and it won't be leaving his system?"

"Nope, neither do Jared or Paul's parents. When they say it's a secret, they mean it. The only people to know are wolves, Council members, and imprints. That's it."

"So she won't be very understanding of the fact that I belong with Sam or of imprinting?"

"Nope and she's having a bit of a hard time accepting it. That he's dating you."

"May I just ask how you know all this?" I was curious. I was glad she knew, because Sam's only response to Friday dinner was for me not to worry. Yeah, fat chance of that happening.

"Pillow talk. Remember there are no secrets in the pack. Sam thought about this the other day while he and Jared were phased together. Jared heard it and then he told me later that night."

"Oh, okay. Anything else?"

"She fixed dinner for the two of yours dinner solely that she would have some leverage in meeting you. She wants to check you out herself."

"And just so I'm clear, I can't do anything to impress her because…"

"You're going to hate this. It's the race thing again. His mother was just raised to believe in the idea that preserving the culture and bloodlines of the tribe is important. She's a stickler for tribe tradition."

----------

So I found myself in Sam's truck Friday night panicking on the inside. Sam's mother was just as important to him, as he was for her. I was holding tightly onto the peach cobbler that I made in hopes of making somewhat of a good impression his mother. Sam released the grip of one of my hands and took it in his own.

"You'll be fine, baby."

"She already doesn't like me, Sam."

"Why would you say that, Bella? She doesn't even know you yet."

"She knows I'm not Leah and that I'm white."

"Mom liked Leah, but she also knows that I broke up with her for my own reasons. I wasn't completely happy with her, unlike I am with you. She'll see that."

"But I'm white, Sam. And not just that, I'm the whitest of the white."

"You make my mom sound a little racist, Bella."

"No, that's not what I meant. I just know that she wants you with a Native girl. That doesn't mean she doesn't like white people in general, I know. She just doesn't want one as a daughter-in-law. I know it's important to her, Sam. She believes in the traditional ways of the tribe."

"Well, I don't, obviously. And she'll be getting a pale face as a daughter-in-law, so she'll have to get over it. Don't worry. Once she gets to know you she'll love you. It might just take a little time, so be patient, baby."

"I will. She's your mom and she's important to you. I'll make her like me if it's the last thing I do."

"Good girl. Well, we're here. One last piece of advice, baby. Don't back down, keep eye-contact, and be confident. She's a strong, independent woman, and she would expect the same of anyone I would marry. Show her that you're right for me, just as I already know."

I nodded in understanding. I took a deep, relaxing breath and opened the truck door. Sam came around the truck to take the cobble in his right hand and my hand in his left. We walked up to the small cottage-styled house. Sam let my hand go to knock on the door. He opened it quickly before waiting for a response. I followed him inside. He shut the door and held my hand again.

Walking toward the kitchen, my nerves started to grow. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Sam stopped us and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Everything will be fine," he murmured against my lips.

"Sam," a voice said behind Sam. I felt his body stiffen before he broke away quickly. I looked around him to see someone that was not his mother.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Who do you think it is?? And what will Sam's mother have to say to Bella? We shall see!

**SNEAK PEAK** to those you review. Make sure that you don't have PM's turned off on your profile or I can't send a sneak peak to you. Also remember if you leave an anonymous review, be sure to write your email as well and I'll send it to you. If you do that, make sure that you leave it like this: you(at)email(.)com. If you leave it regular it won't show up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Oh my gosh!! 98 reviews for chapter 19. You guys totally rock! Without further ado, chapter 20!

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I wasn't looking at Sam's mother. Instead I found myself face to face with the Native goddess.

"Leah, what are you doing here?" Sam asked slowly and calmly. He kept my hand secured around his.

"I invited her to stay, Samuel," another voice said to my side. I looked to see a woman in her early forties, who looked to still be in her thirties.

"And just why would you do that?"

"She was dropping something off. Cherry pie, your favorite, and I invited her to stay for dinner. It was the polite thing to do."

"Mom, didn't you think that would be a little awkward?" His mother turned to Leah.

"Leah, are you feeling awkward?"

"No, Marissa, I'm not," Leah said with a smile. "I always feel comfortable in your house."

"See, Sam, no problem."

"I meant Bella," Sam grounded out through clenched teeth. "My concern revolves around Bella." His mother huffed before turning to look at me with cold eyes.

"Do you have an issue with me inviting guests into my own home, Isabella?" Well, wasn't that just a loaded question? She didn't leave me with much of a choice of how to answer.

"No, Marissa. And you can call me Bella. Everyone does."

"Mrs. Uley."

"Pardon me?"

"You can call me Mrs. Uley, Isabella." _Well, okay then._

"Oh, I apologize, Mrs. Uley."

"Mother," Sam practically growled.

"What, Sam? I don't know this girl. My friends call me Marissa." This was going to be a long night.

"Whatever, is dinner ready?" Sam asked.

"Sure, sweetie."

"Good, where do you want to put this?" He asked holding my cobbler.

She looked at this dish disdainfully. "What is it?"

"Peach cobbler, Bella made it."

"Oh, well, I was planning on having Leah's pie, so do whatever you want with it. Cherry pie is after all your favorite, Sam. Especially Leah's."

"No thanks, I'm a fan of Bella's cobbler now."

"Don't be silly, Sam. You haven't had a piece of my pie in awhile. I'm sure you've been having a desire for it," Leah purred from her spot next to Marissa, or as I am to call her, Mrs. Uley. I had a strong suspicion she was talking about more than her damn pie.

"Leah, your pie is good, but I would rather eat my girlfriend's dessert."

"Sam, don't be rude. We all know you've never been a fan of peaches. So eat Leah's cherry pie."

"Mom-"

"Sammy, remember when I made that peach cobbler last Christmas, your face scrunched up thinking it was pear cobbler. You don't like peaches. Don't you think your _girlfriend_ should know that sort of thing? You wouldn't want to lie and fake liking it, would you? That can't be good for a relationship. Faking it," she said with a sweet smile.

"I don't have to fake it with Bella. I love everything that she does or fixes."

"Sam, you don't like peach cobbler, just admit the truth." I had had enough. I stood there quiet for far too long. Leah may have been a goddess in looks compared to me, but I was deemed his soul mate. And by God was I not going down without a fight for him.

"Maybe he didn't like your cobbler, because it sucked!" I hissed out.

"Excuse me?" She said turning to glare at me.

I took a deep breath, and more calmly continued on. "Maybe he didn't like the recipe you used. He likes mine. In fact he's the one that requested that I make it instead of the other choice I was thinking of."

Both Leah and his mother were gaping at me. I head my chin high and didn't let my stare waver any. I felt Sam squeeze my hand, so I looked up at him. He was smirking as I caught his eye. I knew I'd done well. He turned to look at Leah and his mother. He let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me close to his side.

"I guess that clarifies things just perfectly," he said looking at the women. He turned back down to look at me. I could see how proud of me he was as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips. "Let's eat then."

* * *

Uncomfortably we all made our way to the small dining room. There were four seats at the table. I got put between Sam and Mrs. Uley, meaning Leah was on Sam's other side. I wasn't thrilled at that, but at least I was sitting next to Sam myself. I would have thought the two schemers would have found a way for me to have to eat in a whole other room.

As dinner passed I found myself lost in my thoughts. The conversation left nothing for me to add. Leah and Mrs. Uley discussed tribal topics that I knew nothing about. They pulled Sam into the discussion every once in awhile, seeing as he held such influence in the tribe. In between questions they asked he would try to talk with me.

I was thinking that I was happy that the night had seemed to lose its hostility. I was being ignored, but I figured that was better than being attacked. But as it usual happens, I thought too soon.

"So I was thinking you could escort Leah to the Last Call Bonfire next month, Sam."

"Why would you think that, Mom?"

"The two of you always go together."

"It'll be fun, Sammy. Just like old times. I feel like we've drifted apart some, we need to reconnect."

"We went together because we were dating. We're not now, nor will we in the future. I'm with Bella now, and I will be escorting her to the bonfire."

"She can't go," Leah sneered.

"Why can't I go? It's just a bonfire, right?"

"The Last Call is the last official tribal bonfire before winter starts. It's a gathering of the whole tribe. There will be food and all sorts of things."

"And it's a tribe only thing," Mrs. Uley added with a phony smile. "You understand, don't you, Isabella?" I was beginning to really be irrated by being white. Perhaps if I had a natural tan they would more easily get passed it. But nope, I was as pale as a pale face could come. Thank you, Charlie and Renee.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"No, not of course. Bella will be going with me. I have the Council's permission."

"What? They wouldn't do something like that."

"Are you saying that I'm lying to you, Mom? They understand that Bella is going to be around a lot and for a long time. They've accepted her just fine. I expect you to as well." She simply huffed and took another fork full of food.

"What is your problem?" I growled out. Three sets of eyes flew to my face shocked. It appeared that my presence had been forgotten.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Uley said with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you have to dislike me so much? I'm white, so what? There's nothing I can do about that. Can't you just give me a chance?"

"You won't be around long enough for that to be necessary."

"That's not your decision. Only Sam and I can decide how long we'll be together. So why can't you give me a chance?"

"Sam belongs with a local girl, someone that understands the culture and things that Sam is responsible for."

"I can learn those things."

"Word is that Sam might be made chief. There is no way that a pale face can be our female leader. You have no right to rule over us."

"I won't rule over you. I'll be by Sam's side, supporting him, only giving advice when asked for it. Sam would be the chief, not me."

"You won't be accepted."

"That's for me to worry about in the future. Though I think it would help significantly if his mother would support our relationship."

"I can't do that."

"Any why not?"

"You're not right for my Samuel."

"I find that she's perfect for me actually," Sam said. I knew he had kept silent before only to let me stand up for myself. Marissa Uley wouldn't respect or accept me if I let Sam fight all my battles, not that I would want him to.

"And how so exactly is she _perfect_?"

Sam reached out for my hand. Looking into my eyes, ignoring the audience around the table, he answered his mother's question.

"She can instantly calm me with a single word or touch. Just knowing she's in the room brings a smile to my face. One look at her and my heart feels like it will break through my chest. She makes me laugh more than anyone else in the world can. Bella can break down all my walls without even trying. She's kind hearted, giving, humble, smart, beautiful, independent, but not afraid to ask for help and for some reason that I can't explain, she's mine. And for that I am thankful every day."

"So you like the perfect image she's not. No one's perfect, Sam. I'm sure it won't take long for you to figure that out and be severely disappointed," Leah responded.

"I never said she was perfect, I said she was perfect _for me_. She has faults. I know it, she knows it. I have mine own as well. Bell is almost selfless to a point of disregarding herself. She won't answer the simpliest questions such as where do you want to eat, because she wants the other person to choose so that they're happy. Sometimes she goes beyond being humble and just doesn't see her self correctly, only seeing the negative. It drives me crazy how she can't see how beautiful she is. Bella is clumsy beyond all belief, but she handles it in stride. She sings a bit off key sometimes. She blushes at the slightest things, like now, that it's almost comical. And despite all of this, I love her just the same, if not more." I felt my heart pick up and my breathing halt. _Love? Did he say he loved me? We've never said those words to each other and now he's saying in front of his conniving mother and ex-girlfriend. Oh my. _

Apparently I wasn't the only one taken by surprise. I looked over to Leah and Mrs. Uley. Both appeared to be stunned. "Did you say 'love', Samuel?" His mother asked flabbergasted. I shifted my stare back to Sam. He seemed to have just realized what he had said himself.

"I guess I did," he said looking at his mother. He turned to gaze at me. "I do, you know, love you. I have for awhile. Sorry I'm for saying it for the first time like this. I'd planned to do this much better, but it sort of slipped out." I sat a little too stunned to find words. I knew I was his soul mate and I knew we'd be together forever. But I also knew that imprinting didn't make the wolf fall in love, only to cause the bond and attraction. After another second I realized I needed to say something as it appeared that he was waiting for response. "You don't have to say-"

"I love you too," I blurted out. He let out a sigh of relief, his eyes lit up, and a giant grin took over his face. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my lips.

"I love you so much, Bella," he murmured against my lips.

For a moment I was lost in his dark eyes. I was brought back to reality by the shuffling of furniture. I turned to see Leah standing up out of her chair glaring at me. She huffed before turning toward Mrs. Uley.

"I'll talk to you later, Marissa. I should be heading home."

"Of course, Leah. We'll talk soon." _More like 'we'll plot soon',_ I thought in my head silently. Leah slipped out of the room and house without further comment. The rest of the meal and the dessert were met with silence. After we finished dessert, peach cobbler for Sam and myself and cherry pie for Mrs. Uley, she stood up to collect the dishes.

"I can help," I said standing.

"That's not necessary."

"Please, it's the least I can do. After all you fixed the entire meal, you shouldn't have to do the dishes as well."

"Fine." I took my plate along with Sam's to the kitchen following behind his mom. Sam headed into the living room. I heard the television turn on. In silence, I washed as she dried and put the dishes in their places. After a few minutes and talking myself into it, I spoke my mind to _Marissa._

"Look, I frankly don't care that you like me for my own gratification. To be honest, I could care less if you approved of me. But it's important to Sam, and it will be important if he does take on the responsibility of chief. You don't have to like me, but you should support your son in his decisions. I know that you wanted Leah as your daughter-in-law, but that's not going to happen. Not unless you have some other son I don't know about. Sam is it for me and I'm it for him. The sooner you get on the bandwagon, the better it will be for everyone."

"Well, as long as we agree that I don't have to like you."

"And I don't have to like you either. But in front of Sam and others, we will be friendly to each other."

"Fine." I knew that Sam would have heard every word from the living room, but I figured this was the best course of action to end the hostility. I actually did care that she didn't like me. Of course I would want my future mother-in-law to like me. But I was willing to settle for acting civil in company of others for now. Hopefully I could win her other to Team Bella eventually, preferably before the someday wedding.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So just to make sure that you all understand a little something about my Leah character, I have a couple of points to make. First, she was with Sam longer than she was in the actual books, because Emily never was an issue. Not too important of a fact, but I just want you to be aware. Second, because Sam didn't leave her for her own cousin, Leah is not nearly the bitter harpy that we all know from the books. As far as she's concerned her boyfriend broke up her with no good reason and she intends on getting him back. The break up hurt her, but didn't crush her like it did in the novels. The novels said before the Emily imprint that she was a pretty lively, outgoing girl and I'll try to make her appear that way in this story. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you all understood this because I think Leah will make regular appearances.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** As a side note, for those of you who have yet to see, I did update My Perfect Match a couple of days ago. I'll have the next chapter of it up in the next couple of days as well.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

The following week went by all right. Sam and I spent as much time as we could together, but we both had other responsibilities, so it wasn't as much as I would have liked. School and work filled a lot of my time. Sam had some odd jobs around the reservation on top of his pack related duties. Wednesday was by far my favorite day during the week. I went with Sam to the Community Center. I had been with him a few times since that first time, but I didn't get to go as often as I wanted. The kids had warmed up to be greatly since the first trip.

When we arrived Sam headed straight for the boys, and I went toward the girls like normal. As I made my way to the girls, Kane, one of the boys called out to me.

"Bella, come play with us today!" I typically avoided the boys only for the reason that they always played something physical. And well, I knew not to tempt fate on purpose.

"Um, I don't know, Kane. I'm not any good at sports."

"But you never play with us."

"And what am I, chop liver?" Sam asked.

"No, we love having you here, but we hardly get to see Bella, and when we do she never hangs out with us, only the girls."

"Bella?" Kane said.

"You guys always get Sam, so it's only right that we get Bella when she's here," Lily complained from behind me.

"That's because Sam doesn't want to do girly things with you. He'd rather do manly things with us," another boy said cockily.

"Hey now, I don't want you speaking on my behalf," Sam said chuckling.

"What are you girls doing today?" I asked.

"Dress up."

"Dress up?" _Anything but that._

"Yeah, someone donated some clothes to the center and we're playing dress up with them."

"That's nice," I said fighting the urge to cringe. Dress up was like pretending to go shopping. And I hated shopping.

I heard a snicker on my left. I turned to see Sam trying to hold in his laugh and failing miserably. He knew how much I did not want to play dress up and he was reveling in it. Glaring at him, I had an incredible idea strike me. A smile slowly graced my face, and Sam's smile disappeared. It was almost like he could hear the wheels turning in my head.

"Bella?" He said wearily.

"I've got a great idea, kids. How about Sam and I switch for the day? I'll play with the boys and Sam can play with the girls." A chorus of agreement filled the room.

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Great idea, Bella."

"Awesome."

My eyes stayed on my boyfriend. He didn't fight the cringe or the grimace that took over his face.

"I don't think any of the clothes will fit me. Darn the luck."

"That's okay, we'll find a way to make it work," Lily assured him.

"Yeah, Sam. They'll make it work," I said with a mile wide smile.

"Come on, Bella," Kane said pulling me toward the basketball court area.

"Bella…" Sam whined, looking at me with puppy eyes.

"See you later, Sam."

So the boys all stopped once we reached the court. I looked around for some inclination of what we were going to play. I was personally hoping for basketball. I could easily avoid the ball in that game.

"So what are we playing today?" Kane and Phoenix, the leaders of the group of boys, looked at one another before turning back to me to answer in unison.

"Dodge ball!" _Oh crap!_ That was the absolutely last game I wanted to play.

"Really? There's not another game you want to play more?"

"Nope."

"Okay, great," I said with no enthusiasm.

The boys picked teams. I ended up on Phoenix's team, which I deemed a good thing. I considered him the strongest, most competitive, and most aggressive of the group. Not the kind of person you want to be against in a game like dodge ball.

I was the first person out in the first round. No big surprise there. Second round I was third out. I considered this a major improvement. My team captain did not share my feelings.

"Bella, you've got to do better than this."

"I'm trying, Phoenix. You should have known that this would not be my game."

"I have faith in you, Bella."

"I'm not sure why," I muttered.

"I just do. You can do better."

"And what would you suggest I do to be better."

"Just try and stay behind me. If a ball gets past me, get it and give it to me to throw."

"Fine," I grumbled.

So then I found myself struggling to keep up with his speed and not trip in the process. Eventually it was down to Phoenix and I against Kane.

"Okay, Bella, here's the plan. We'll invade the three balls that he has left on his side. Then when he's all out, we'll pound him," Phoenix whispered to me.

"All right." _So pretty much keep doing what I'm doing. Keep you as a human shield_, I thought.

"Let's do this. Bring it on, Kane!" Phoenix taunted.

Phoenix moved, so I scrambled to move with him. A ball flew by. One down, two to go. I kept my focus on Phoenix; he shifted to the right, so did I. Suddenly he jerked to the left too quickly for me to process. I covered my head with my arms to protect myself, knowing that the ball had to be coming.

"Shit!"

I opened my eyes to see Phoenix on the ground and a ball rolling away from him. His face was livid while Kane's was victorious.

"Gotcha," Kane said with a wide smile. Slowly Kane turned to me. _Uh oh. _

"Kane, be nice."

"Oh Bella, you're all that's standing in my way of winning."

He lifted the ball into the air, pulling his arm back. I stood frozen. _He isn't honestly going to throw it with everything he's got, is he?_ I closed my eyes and stretched out my arms. I felt something hit my arms and pulled them to me.

"No! You've got to be kidding me."

"Hell yeah, Bella."

"Whoop whoop. Go Bella!"

Those weren't the sounds I was expecting. I opened one eye to see a pissed off Kane glaring at me from the other side of the line. Opening the other eye, I looked down to see the ball clutched to my chest.

"What does this mean?"

"You won the game, Bella."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you caught his throw. You won the game which means you also won the day for us. We won two of the three games."

"Oh, oh, OH! That's awesome!" I'd never won a sports related game before. I was more than excited. I looked around for Sam. I saw him standing with the girls. Apparently our game had attracted a crowd. Running toward him, I temporarily ignored his clothing and jumped into his arms.

"Did you see that?" I asked with big smile.

"Yeah, baby, I saw. You did great."

"I did, didn't I? I've never won a game before. If fact, I'm usually the reason my team loses."

"Well, not today. Though I have to say, I was surprised you caught the ball."

"I think it was because I wasn't trying. If I actually tried to catch it, I would have ended up with a black eye or some other injury."

"I think you're right, baby."

"You're girlfriend was awesome today, Sam," Phoenix said.

"Thanks, Phoenix, but I think she's pretty awesome everyday." He was so cheesy sometimes, but I secretly loved it. Something about a strong, manly man being so utterly sweet was just hot.

"Yeah, she did well," Kane admitted reluctantly.

"You know she did, Kane. You're just sorry you lost. You thought me having Bella on my team was a sure fire way for you to win."

"Oh shut it, Phoenix."

"Poor baby lost."

"I mean it. Cut that crap out." I hopped down from Sam's arms to stand on my own two feet. He still kept one wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close to him.

"Boys, both of you stop. It was just a game. And who knows who will win next time."

"You're right, Bella. I could totally cream Phoenix tomorrow."

"In your dreams, man."

"You can keep talking, but I'll show you."

"Oh yeah right."

"Phoenix, Kane." Sam said with authority. Both boys' heads snapped at attention.

"Sorry, Sam." They said in unison. It both amazed me and made me jealous how Sam just saying their names could get them to straighten out.

"Great, now that we have that settled, I want to talk about what Sam is wearing."

"Yeah, Sam, pink is so your color," Kane announced.

"I have to agree," I said.

Sam, my Alpha werewolf, was wearing what was supposed to be a pink dress. But on his it was more of a form fitting shirt. The girls had then attached a few other shirts together to create a skirt. It was quite the interesting outfit. The purple boa around his neck just completed the atrocity of fashion. I think Alice's facial expression would have been similar to Sam's.

"From now on, I stick with the boys on the court, and you can stay with the girls."

"Oh, I don't know. I think the girls had a lot of fun. Look at those big grins. Did you girls have fun with Sam today?"

"Definitely, Bella. Sam hardly ever plays with us. It was nice having him with us today. I wish he did so more often," Lily said, with a small blush growing on her cheeks.

_Someone has a crush_, I sang in my head. Of course I couldn't blame her. My boyfriend was pretty incredible.

"See, Sam, we'll have to switch more often."

"Or I can stay on the court and the girls can try playing a sport with me."

"And what am I and the boys supposed to do?"

"I'm sure you guys can figure something out."

"Or you could show them some leather work."

"Did Sam make that bracelet, Bella?" Lily asked staring at my wrist.

"Yes, he did. Isn't it pretty?"

"It's beautiful. Sam, could you really show us how to make something like that?"

"I'm sure we could manage something like that. Would you girls really like it if we did something like this?" He asked running his hand over my bracelet.

"Yeah," they cheered.

"All right, I'll see if I can get some materials together then."

"Can we do it tomorrow?" Another girl, Carrie, asked.

"I can't tomorrow. One day next week, okay?"

"What about us?" Kane asked.

"What about you?" I asked back.

"What are you going to plan for us?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, if Sam does something special with the girls, aren't you going to do something with us special?" Phoenix asked with mini puppy eyes.

"I guess I can. Though I'm not sure what we can do."

"We have faith in you, Bella. I'm sure you'll come up with something great." _Well, that's some pressure. What in the world am I going to do?_

* * *

**Author's Note: **So I really wanted to show that Bella does have some support amongst the tribe, even if it is with the kids. They are the next generation and are just as important as the adults in the tribe.

So I've already got the next chapter all done. I actually wasn't planning this chapter and already had the next chapter written when I thought this chapter would be good to add in.

**Anyway, I'll upload the next chapter either on Saturday or when the story hits 1,100 reviews, which ever comes first. There are roughly 500 people reading this story, so I know that this is an easy accomplishment.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **We broke the 1,000 review mark, but not the amount I asked for. So as many of you know, I decided to give a sneak peek of this chapter to those who did review. Thank you to all of you. If you left it anonymous or have PMs blocked, I unfortunately couldn't send it to you. I think I'll keep this way of doing things in the future. If I have the next chapter done, I'll ask for a set number of reviews to update it early. If I don't reach the number set by the halfway point, I'll send a sneak peek to those who did take the time to review.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I felt good after spending Wednesday with Sam and the kids at the Community Center. After receiving grief from Paul and Marissa, it was good to feel accepted on the reservation somewhere.

Sitting on the couch with Sam on Friday night felt nice. School was getting on my nerves. I was used to spending more time with Sam even with the Edward interference over the summer and now school was keeping me from him. So sitting with my back against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me felt like the perfect way to end the long week.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Sam asked behind me.

"I don't know, just hang out."

"Sounds good to me, this week was too long."

"I agree. Wednesday was great, but the rest of the week I could have skipped."

"I find myself living for the weekends now. I feel like I don't get enough Bella time during the week."

"I need more Sam time too."

"Glad to know you miss me too."

"Of course I do. Always."

"Me too." He sighed. "Well, if you don't feel like cooking, we could order out."

"I like the sound of that. Do you think we could call Kim and Jared?"

"Sure, if you'd like. I'm sure Kim would enjoy it."

"Good. Pizza sound okay to you?"

"Sure, baby. I'm going to grab a shower real quick. You call the pizza place and Kim."

"All right."

He left for the bathroom and I went to the kitchen phone. Next to it was where Sam kept all the phone numbers. I called in an order for five pizzas. Each wolf would get two and Kim and I could share the last one. Next I rang Kim's cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kim, it's Bella."

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good. I was calling to see if Jared and you would like to come over for pizza."

"Let me ask." I heard some talking in the background.

"Jared says if there's food then you can count us in."

"Great, cause I already ordered enough for two wolves." Kim laughed on the other line.

"Okay, we'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"See you then."

"Bye."

I busied myself getting things ready. I got out plates and some cups. Fifteen minutes later, Kim and Jared were walking through the door.

"Thanks for calling, Bella."

"Not a problem, Jared." We headed into the kitchen to fix ourselves something to drink.

"I asked Kim to cook and she just looked at me."

"I don't cook. He knows this."

"You could learn."

"So could you."

"But I'm a man. I do the outdoor, manly things like hunt down bloodsuckers." Kim and I both snorted at that.

"So that leaves me to cook and clean up after you." Jared looked away, not denying the statement. "I don't think so, mister. You better get that kind of thinking out of your head, 'cause when we get married I am not turning into your maid or live in cook."

"But, babe, I can't do those things and my mom won't be there to do them."

"Then I suggest you learn from your mom before you move out or you won't be moving in with me."

"That's harsh, babe."

"That's the truth, Jared." Jared turned to me with a smirk.

"My woman doesn't put up with much of my crap. And I love her for it."

"And she doesn't take sucking up either." Kim responded. He winked at me.

I loved watching them bicker. For an onlooker it was pure entertainment. You could tell they were usually serious in their words, but kept things light and fun between them. They didn't let their disagreements get out of hand.

"So where's Sam?" Kim asked.

"Right here," his low voice said behind me.

He pulled me against his chest. I looked up and saw him staring back down at me. His hair was still wet and I felt a drop fall on my nose. He wiped it away with a finger.

"Sorry about that."

"It's all right." The doorbell rang.

"I'll get that. Be right back." He placed a small kiss on my forehead and left for the front door. Jared sniffed the air.

"Pizza? I'll come and help." Jared added before trailing after Sam.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight besides the pizza?"

"I don't know, Kim. I hadn't really thought that far."

"How about we play a game?"

"I'm not sure if Sam owns any games that don't require a remote controller."

"Probably not. You know, now that there are two of us girls, we should take some control."

"I thought you said we already did hold the control," I whispered.

"Well, we do, but I mean we should de-bachelor pad this place. Big screen TV with two different game systems. Come one, what are the two of us supposed to do here?" She spoke quietly.

"You've got a point. So what we bring in board games?"

"Sure, and some girly movies that don't include war, fight scenes, or car chases."

"I don't know if we have that much power, Kim."

"We do, trust me."

"Girls, your pizza is getting cold," Jared called out.

"Coming," Kim yelled back.

Kim grinned at me and pulled me into the living room after her. I had already put a pair of plates in the living room earlier while I was waiting on everyone. We each grabbed one and filled our plate. The boys were each already on their second pizzas when we each sat next to them. Some ball game was on the television.

"This isn't going to work."

"What won't work, babe?" Jared asked.

"I refuse to watch yet another football game. I didn't even think games were played on Fridays except for high school. Plus it looks like it has crappy reception."

"It's ESPN Classic."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning this is a classic game from 1984."

"You weren't even alive then, so what do you care? Bella, get the remote." I looked over at Sam.

"Don't give in, Sam. Be strong, be a man, be a wolf," Jared said.

"Sam," I said moving closer to him.

"Sam, don't do it."

"Sam, I don't want to watch this," I said pouting. Sam's eyes flickered to Jared then back to me.

"Come on, Sam. Fight it. Fight the imprint."

"Sam, please hand over the remote." He sighed and I felt victory coming on. He looked to Jared, shrugged and handed the remote over. "Thank you," I said leaving a kiss on his cheek.

We spent the evening watching pointless reality television. I didn't really care for it, but it seemed to really make Kim happy. I had a feeling that before me, she got out voted in the activities that the pack took part in.

It was getting late and I knew I still had the drive home to make. I snuggled closer to Sam before speaking.

"I should head home. I have work in the morning."

"Right, we should be going too," Kim said.

"What are you two doing tomorrow? I promised Kim I would take her out instead of us just sitting at home like we normally do."

"We've got nothing planned. Bella, would you like to go out? We don't do that often either."

"That sounds nice to me. What were planning on?"

"Well, we thought about a movie, but I think since we watch what you two girls wanted tonight, that we shouldn't be subjected to a chick flick tomorrow."

"Fair enough, but I don't feel like an action, blood filled movie either."

"So that leaves out going to a movie," Sam concluded.

"What about bowling?" Kim asked excitedly. Jared, Sam and I all groaned. "Or not. It was just a suggestion."

"A bad one, babe. Sorry, but it would be impossible for Sam and I to get shoes that would fit. And then we'd get in trouble for not having appropriate footwear on."

"So what do you suggest then?"

"How about going to play pool?"

"Where can you do that around here?" I asked. Jared smirked and I knew the answer would be interesting.

"_The Wolves' Den_." I couldn't hold in the snort.

"That's a bar, Jared. How would any of us besides Sam get in?" Kim reasoned.

"Well, I look twenty-one easy. And it's not like it's a straight laced kind of place. I'm sure with us they would let you in. Don't you think, Sam?"

"I know Gerry, the owner, pretty well. I'm sure he wouldn't mind as long as weren't drinking."

"See, problem solved," Jared said triumphantly.

"Great, it should be fun. Or at least different," I added.

"I'm sure it will be amusing in the least."

"Why do you say that, Sam?" I asked.

"Because I can just imagine how well you play pool, baby."

"Hey, that's not very nice, Sam Uley."

"I only speak the truth, Bella Swan."

"Humph."

"Sounds like a date then." Kim added.

"Guys, do you maybe think we should invite Paul?"

"Why, he'll only be a jerk to you, Bella."

"Yeah, Jared, but I've got to try to reach out with an olive branch sometime, don't you think?"

"I think she's right. The only way Paul is going to get over himself is if he gets to know Bella for who she is. I think it would be nice for us to all go out as a pack, and what better place to do that than _The Wolves Den._"

* * *

So Saturday night I found myself in Sam's arms in a bar. He was right, the owner let Kim and me on the premise that we wouldn't try to drink. We happily agreed. Paul and Jared took full advantage of their older looks to drink a few beers. They were severely disappointed to find that after four beers they weren't even starting to feel a buzz.

"What the fuck? Can we not get drunk?" Jared asked aggravated.

"Sam did. How did you do it?" I winced at the memory that Paul brought on for me. Finding a depressed and drinking Sam the day after my birthday was a memory that I had blocked out. He had looked awful and it was my fault.

"I drank nonstop for twelve hours. I'd say I drank over fifty beers."

"Damn, that's a lot of beer," Paul muttered.

"More like that's a lot of money. That sucks. We can't even afford to get drunk."

"The Council needs to up our pay."

"The tribe does not allocate the two of you money so you can get wasted."

"Oh come on, Sam. What do they expect with a job like ours?"

"For you to be responsible."

"You weren't."

"Paul, it was a one time thing. I was going through stuff."

"You mean precious Bella broke your heart."

"I misinterpreted what was going to happen. Bella did nothing wrong."

"She was dating a freaking leech. I think that's wrong on many, many different levels."

"Paul, just shut it. We're all here to have a good time," Jared interjected.

"Fine, whatever. No fun for me or Jared."

"Let's just play pool," Kim suggested.

I was feeling a similar emotion as I was on Wednesday playing dodge ball. Humiliation. Apparently I sucked at everything. I wondered how one person could stink at so many different things. Half of playing pool was geometry. I excelled in that class, so what was my problem? Jared was pretty decent. Kim was surprisingly good. Sam could shoot better than I could behind his back with one eye closed. And Paul. Well, it seemed that Paul was an ace at pool. He could shoot with both eyes closed.

We played nine ball for one game with each couple a team and Paul on his own. Paul found that was no fun as there wasn't any competition for him. He started playing at the table next to us with some scary, tattooed guy.

Kim and Jared made a team and Sam and I made the other when we went back to regular pool. Game two ended quickly when on my third shot, I hit the eight ball in a pocket. Instant game over.

Everyone felt bad that I sucked so much, so game number three started with me attempting to break.

"Just take your time, Bella. Take a deep breath in before taking the shot," Kim encouraged.

"Line up the stick to hit the cue ball in its center," Jared instructed.

"Pull the stick back and swing it back hard. Normally you wouldn't hit hard, but when breaking, you can use a little more power," Sam guided.

_Okay, take a deep breath. Line the stick up with the cue ball. Pull the stick back. Hit the stick on something. No, that's not the next step. I was supposed to pull it back and hit the cue ball. _

"Arg, fuck!"_ That doesn't sound good._

I turned around to see what I hit. Behind me on the ground was Paul. His eyes were shut tight and he was holding his crouch in his hands. _Uh oh. _

"Did I do that?" I said, looking toward Sam nervously. His mouth was shut tightly and he nodded his head slowly while his eyes danced with laughter.

"Hell yeah you did," Jared laughed. "Oh man, that was great." Paul growled from his spot on the ground.

"I am so sorry, Paul." He growled again, rocking slightly on the ground.

"Well, look at it this way, Bella. At least you finally hit some balls," Jared said before bursting out in complete laughter. He was bent over in his fit of hilarity. Sam joined him.

"It's okay, Bella. You didn't mean to do it," Kim tried to assure me.

"God, I'm such a screw up. Paul, I really am sorry. I didn't realize you were right behind me."

"Fuck you," he snarled.

"Paul!" Sam yelled. "It was an accident. She apologized. Get over it."

"You let her hit you in the balls and see how you feel."

"I'm sure it hurt, but snapping at her won't do anything but piss me off."

"Oh right, I'm sorry. Perfect Bella can do no wrong."

"I'm not perfect," I mumbled.

This night was night turning out how I wanted it to. I really just wanted Paul to accept me. He didn't even have to like me, just accept me. Paul pulled himself off the ground.

"I'm out."

"Please don't go," I begged.

"Why? I'm just the fifth wheel anyway."

"No you're not. You're with your brothers and their girlfriends. Please don't leave. I really just want to get to know you, Paul."

"Well, I don't want to know you."

"Paul, just give her a chance. She's trying," Jared tried.

"I see that she's trying, I just don't care. Sorry, but I don't think it's right that you're an imprint. It goes against tradition and the laws of the tribe."

"Tradition isn't always right."

"We'll see."

"Paul…" I wanted to say something, I just couldn't think of what would actually work.

"It's not personal, honestly, it's not. I'm sure you're a great person besides your love for leeches. You're trying, but it's not enough. Trying to get to know me isn't showing me that you belong here, that you're right for my Alpha or for my tribe."

With that he walked out and I felt like giving up.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So just a fun fact. My best friend actually did hit a guy in his lower region while playing pool one summer at a beach condo. We didn't know the guy before coming to the condo that week, but it was actually his sister that made the "at least you finally hit some balls" comment.


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

The next morning I still felt like crap. I had no clue what it would take to get Paul to accept me. He said that I had to prove myself. I had to prove that I belonged by Sam's side. Well, how the hell was I supposed to do that? He couldn't have given me a clue of some sort to worked with? Jared, Kim and Sam all tried to reassure me that he was simply an ass and to not listen to a word he said. Paul himself even told me to not take it personally though. And I thought he was telling me the truth then, but then again they did know him better. Jared and Sam even shared a mind with him, so I would for the time being ignore his comments like the two of them suggested.

I pushed away my thoughts and got ready for the day. I was spending the day with my beloved wolf and some of my favorite kids. I hadn't told anyone, including Sam, what I had planned for the boys. I worried if the boys would like my activity. I thought they would, but we'd see.

Before heading down to La Push, I stopped by the hardware store in Forks. I picked up the remaining materials that I would need for our activity. The boy at the register, probably only a freshman in high school, looked at me oddly after seeing my checkout items.

"Whatcha doing with this stuff?" I looked down at the objects and smiled.

"Just a fun little project for some middle school aged boys," I said simply.

It would be my little secret for a bit more. I grabbed the bags and headed back out to my truck. I drove to La Push with a smile on my face. Adults on the reservations may not have approved of me, but the kids seemed to. And that was all I needed at the moment.

I told Sam the night before that I would meet him at the Center at eleven o'clock. Pulling up, I didn't see his truck, but he could have just walked over. After our fun at the Center, we planned to eat at the café around the corner, and we wouldn't need two cars for that.

I took hold of all the bags of supplies. While I walked toward the building, Sam emerged from the door. He strode over to me and took the bags out of my hands.

"Hey, baby, you're late," he said before dropping down and placing a kiss on my lips.

"Five minutes, Sam. Five minutes does not count as being late for a girl."

"All right, you tell the boys that then. They've been bugging since the moment I walked through the door. They're really excited."

"Then let's head inside."

Sam peered into one of the bags. "Are you going to share with me what you have CDs, washers, and hook-eyes for?"

"Nope, it's for the boys and me. You can find out when we're done."

"Are you building something, Bella? Because I don't think you're too good at using tools, baby."

"Your confidence in my abilities astound me," I say sarcastically. "I can do this, Sam."

"Okay, sweetheart, you go and do your thing then."

"I will thank you very much."

We headed inside and immediately the boys swarmed all around me.

"Bella, you're here!"

"Bella, what took you so long?"

"What do you have planned?"

Sam chuckled at them before stepping in, "Whoa, guys, give my girl room to breathe."

"Sorry, Sam, we're just excited," Phoenix explained.

"All right, well, why don't you boys carry these bags for Bella where ever it is that she wants you take them?"

"Not a problem, Sam," Kane said.

The boys took all the bags from Sam and followed me to the far corner of the large room. I sat down on the floor and the boys followed suit.

"What are we doing today, Bella?" Walker asked me.

"Let's lay out all the materials and see if you guys can figure it out."

So the boys all took the items out of all the bags and laid them all around us on the floor. None of them seemed to be able to piece the items together in their heads.

"You've got to give us a few clues, Bella," Phoenix said.

"Well, the CDs will act as wheels."

"So it's all for some kind of car?" Kane guessed.

"Yes, some kind of car."

"Okay, so I get the car part, but I don't see where a mousetrap comes into play."

"It does, trust me, Phoenix. The traps make the car more than just a plain old push-it-yourself car."

"How?" Kane asked doubtfully.

"For inertia," Walker said proudly.

"Right, the traps will set the cars in motion."

"Of course the dork would know," Kane complained.

"I'm not a dork just because I actually pay attention in classes."

"Whatever. How do we make these things?"

After shotting Kane a look that I didn't approve of his comment, I answered, "We need to split into pairs. Each pair will make their own car."

"Can I be on your team, Bella?" Phoenix asked.

"Suck up," Kane muttered.

Phoenix looked smugly over at Kane. "You're just sorry I asked first."

I silently counted the boys and found seven of them in front of me that day. That meant there would have to be a team of three or I would need to pair up with one boy.

"To be fair, Phoenix did ask, so I'll team with him. The rest of you need to pair off into twos and then we can get started."

After the boys teamed up, with surprisingly no issues, I started to hand out all the supplies. Each team received what they would need for one car. After distributing parts, I sat back down next to Phoenix.

"First, everyone needs to carefully super glue the mouse trap onto the wooden base. The direction of the coil should be opposite the direction of the mouse trap car's intended movement direction. So you need to place it here like this," I said showing them to glue the trap at the back edge of the wooden base. I handed the two pieces to Phoenix and he promptly glued the trap into the correct position.

After only a few short minutes, the four teams all looked up at me ready to move on.

"Okay, next we have to attach the four eye hooks on the mouse trap's base. The base wood isn't real wood, but some kind of synthetic stuff that should be easy enough to push the hooks into using your hands. Insert two eye hooks on the short side of both ends of the mouse trap. And remember to be careful and to make sure that the holes of the hooks are aligned with each other on each end."

I waited a few minutes while the boys finished the step. I did one side while Phoenix inserted the hooks into the other.

"Next we work with the axles. The length of the axles must be longer than the mouse trap to avoid friction when we put the wheels on. Also, make sure that the axles are parallel to each other. This goes back to how you inserted the eye hooks. You can use lots of things for the axles, but I just chose the cylinder metal rods. They're light but sturdy, and work well for this."

It took only a second for each team to slide the rod through the eye hooks.

"All right, next put the rubber washers on the axels. You'll need to position them near the eye hooks. This will keep the rod in its correct position. You don't want the axle moving all around and this will prevent that from occurring. Keep in mind that you will need to leave a small amount of space between the rubber washers and the hooks to allow movement of the axle."

I watched as Phoenix did so properly. I stood up to walk around the other teams just to ensure that everyone was on track.

"Kane, dear, that's a little bit too much wiggle room. Move the washers a little closer to the hooks."

"Thanks, Bella."

"Not a problem. Is anyone having any difficulties or questions?" No one answered, so I assumed we could move on.

"Okay, next we glue the wheels, or in our case the CDs, onto the axles."

The thickness of the rods allowed them to just barely slide through the wholes of the CDs. A little super glue to hold the tight fit in place and we were good to go.

"Now I want one person on the team to tie the string on the jaw of the mouse trap. You must make sure that it's very secure and tightly tied."

"Loop the other end of the string to the rear axle of the car. Again you have to tie the string very tightly in order for the car to work properly."

I helped Phoenix tie it a little tighter on the axle, but other than that his car looked good to go. Walking around the other groups, each team looked to be on target. When I came upon Walker's group, he beamed up at me.

"Are my knots tight enough, Bella?" I examined the car, particularly where the string was tied.

"These look excellent, Walker. Where did you learn knots?"

"My Uncle Mark taught me."

"He's a good teacher."

"Yeah, he is, but I don't get to see him much. He works in Seattle."

"Yeah, what does he do there?"

"He works some big business. Uncle Mark studied really hard in school and got a scholarship. I'm trying to do the same thing, that's why I study and pay attention in school."

"That sounds like a very good plan."

"Thanks, Bella. I just don't see myself living here for the rest of my life. There are so many more exciting places, don't you think?"

"La Push and Forks holds more excitement than you would ever guess, Walker."

"You mean you want to stay here?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I do."

"Because of Sam?"

"Yes, because of Sam." No sense lying. If not for Sam, I would almost certainly leave. Sure, I would come back to visit Charlie, but staying here permanently was never in my plans.

"You must really love him to choose to stay here. You're real smart, you could really go places in life."

"Well, thanks, but I like it in La Push a lot. I've lived else where and I wouldn't trade here for anywhere else. I consider this home now, why would I want to be anywhere else?"

"You can make a home somewhere else."

"Home isn't always a physical place, Walker. Sometimes it's a person or a group of people. My heart and home are here, so I'll always belong in Washington." Walker bit his lip in concentration.

"I get what you're saying. Maybe once I'm older I'll look at it the same way. But for right now, I want see the world."

"You do what makes you happy," I said patting him on the head. I made my way back to the front of the group.

"Okay, everyone, all that's left is to test these babies out." A cheer came from the boys.

For the next half an hour the boys played with their cars. The boys on each team took turns setting the traps off and setting the cars into motion.

"Looks like you did well," a deep voice said behind me. If it was any other voice I would have jumped startled. Not his voice though, his voice was one I always welcomed.

"Thanks," I said turning to see him. "How did the bracelet making go?"

"Good. The girls are just finishing up now."

"And how did Lily do?"

He sighed and shook his head a little. "Lily did well. Though, she sure did ask a lot of questions."

I smiled a little at him. "I think I have some competition in her."

"Nah, baby, you never have to worry about competition. You're the only one I want."

"Sam!" a voice shouted across the room. Phoenix stood waving Sam over to him and the rest of the boys.

"Looks like you're being called."

"Yeah, well, you know I am a pretty popular guy around here."

"You keep telling yourself that, big guy."

We both walked toward the boys together. All seven of them created a semi-circle around us.

"You want to see what I made with Bella. She is so amazing. You're a lucky guy, Sam." I couldn't hold the blush off.

"I know I am. What I want to know is how my lady learned to make these?"

"Science class in Phoenix."

"What?" Phoenix asked confused.

"Before Forks, I lived in Phoenix, Arizona. That's where I learned how to make a mousetrap car."

"I bet that's a cool place to have such a cool name."

"More like loserville," Kane muttered.  
"Hey, lay off, Kane."  
Before Kane could rebuttal, Sam spoke up. "You know what would be great? For someone to show me these contraptions you speak of. Then I want to test one of these bad boys out myself."

The boys all proudly showed off their mousetrap cars to Sam. The girls after awhile made their way over to us as well. The group decided that a race was needed. With all the cars lined up and Sam standing a few yards away, I initiated the countdown.

"Ready…Set….Go!" The traps snapped and the cars went flying.

"The winners are Tony and Brock," Sam announced.

That pleased me. Those two were always so quiet and well behaved. If Phoenix or Kane would have won, it could have turned into World War III.

The girls showed off their bracelets and a few even got the boys to let them test out the cars. All in all it turned out to be a fabulous day. Sam and I said our goodbyes and promises to return as soon as we could.

* * *

Sam drove us just around the corner and down a few blocks to a small café. After we parked, Sam held my hand and kept us both seated in the truck. I looked at him questioningly, but he continued to look out the windshield. After a few moments of silence he spoke.

"You know, Walker was right."

"About what?"

"You being too smart to be stuck here."

"You heard that? I thought you were a wolf, not superman," I tried to joke.

"I'm serious, Bella. I hate that you're stuck here."

"I'm not stuck here, Sam. Do you see anything physically holding me here? No, neither do I. I _want_ to be here. I choose to be here. Nowhere in the world could ever hold a candle against La Push. No place else in the world do they have you. You're my home, Sam. Charlie's my home. That means that La Push and Forks are my homes."

He didn't look at me when he spoke, "There's not much here for you."

"You, you, you, Sam," I sighed frustrated before continueing, "You're all I need. How many times must we go through this? I want you, I need you, and I love you. What else do you want me to say?"

"Knowing you love me means more to me than anything else."

"I'm glad, because I do. I love you, Sam Uley."

"I love you too, Isabella Swan."

"That's nice to know, because I don't plan on going anywhere, anytime soon."

"All right, sorry I brought it up. I just want the best for you."

"You're the best for me."

"You're the best for me too. You know that, right?" I wished that I did. Sometimes I thought so and others I didn't. I guess it really depended on who I had been around in that time.

"Yeah, I know," I fibbed. He didn't need to worry about my worries. He had enough on his plate.

"Good, then I say we go inside and get some grub, because I'm starved."

"You, Sam Uley, are always starved."

"Hey, leatherwork burns a lot of calories, let me tell you."

I snorted, "I'm sure. Let's go then."


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

We walked inside of the restaurant and a woman greeted us. The woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, looked at Sam appreciatively.

"Hello, Sam," she cooed. My eyes narrowed at the woman.

"Sadie, how are you?" _So he knows the woman, interesting._

"I'm good, though I haven't seen you around lately."

"Been busy."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Always hard at work you are."

"I try," he said awkwardly. "Could we get a table?"

"Oh sure. Just the two of you then," she asked while inspecting me, "or will some more _friends_ being joining you?"

"Nope," Sam answered wrapping his arm around me, "just my _girlfriend_ and I today, thanks."

"Right, just this way then." She led us to a booth off to the side of the café. "You're server will be right with you," she smiled.

"Thanks," Sam said, sliding in.

"She started walk away before I could ask her where the restrooms was located. I turned to look at Sam who already had his head in the menu.

"Sam?" He looked up from the menu and blinked at me. His eyebrows knitted together and a small frown replaced his smile.

"Bella, why are you standing? Sit down, baby." Sam patted the spot next to him.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, it's behind this wall and down the short hall."

"All right, I'll be right back."

"In case the server comes, what do you want to drink? Coke or they have good strawberry lemonade here?"

"Strawberry lemonade, please."

"You got it, babe."

I headed for the hall and found the bathroom easily. As I closed the stall door, I heard the door from the hall open.

"Leah is such a shameless flirt." I recognized the voice as Sadie's.

"Yeah, well, it's not like she really has to try too hard."

"What do you mean?"

"Sam, they'll be together in the end. Everyone knows that." I certainly didn't know that.

"He came in today with his new 'girlfriend'."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"She's some little girl from Forks. She's probably still in high school. Nothing special from what I could see. Really not sure what he's thinking there to be honest." I couldn't really argue when I was being compared with Native goddess, Leah Clearwater.

"Really now? Leah can't be happy about that."

"Nope, but she's not too worried. Like you said, everyone knows the two of them will get married eventually. Sam knows it too, even if he's having his little Forks adventure currently."

"Makes sense though. He and Leah were together forever, maybe he's just checking out the local inventory before he settles down."

"Last tasting before the final show." _Sam's not like that. They don't know him at all. He loves me. He wants forever with me. Leah's in his past. I'm his future. Right?_

"Yeah, he has to get his man fill before committing to Leah."

"I can't wait for them to get married." _They're not getting married ever._

"Why?"

"Can you imagine the party this tribe is going to put on? The celebration will probably last a week."

"Right you are. He needs to get rid of whatever it is in his system, so we can get the party started." The two of them laughed and exited the restroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts. _Guess, Paul and Marissa weren't exaggerating when they said the whole tribe expected Sam and Leah to end up together._

While I tried to push the voices of the waitresses out of my head, I noticed my hair was looking a little rough. Hanging out with the kids made a mess of my hair. I used the band on my wrist to throw it up in a ponytail, trying to tame it a little. Though obviously, my first impression had already been made at the restaurant.

After I determining there wasn't much else I could do, I headed back toward our table. We could eat our meal, hopefully in peace. Then I could forget about the conversation I'd just heard. I belonged with Sam. Fate said so.

Just as I went to turn around the corner I heard Sam laugh. I stopped, but only because his laugh wasn't alone. A female voice that I unfortunately recognized joined his.

"Sammy, you're too perfect." _Sammy?_

"I'm not perfect, Lee-lee. You know that." _They have pet names for each other. How _not_ cute._

"Well, you're certainly are as close as they come. And you're perfect for me."

"Lee, stop it."

"You remember that time when we decided at six o'clock at night to go to Seattle?"

"Yeah, sure."

"That was the most incredible weekend. I mean we didn't get there until past ten and we ate at that shitty little whole in the wall. What was the name?"

"One-eyed Ray's," Sam chuckled. "The food was God awful."

"And the bartender…"

"…wouldn't stop staring at your ass. I gad to beat his scrawny ass."

"Always my hero, Sammy. Yeah, and then we stayed at hotel with the very…"

"…loud neighbors." They both burst out laughing.

I stood dumbfounded how they so easily finished one another's sentences. Leah probably knew more about him than I ever would. I knew about the wolf thing, but she knew so many more things.

"Of course no weekend can beat the camping trip we went on with Falon and Reese."

"I don't know which part was funnier, Reese catching his pants on fire while trying to light the fireworks or you and Falon trying to flirt our way out of being hauled to jail for possessing illegal fireworks on state land."

"All my best memories have you in them, Sammy."

"You're in some of mine too, Lee."

"That won't ever change, right?"

"Of course not, Leah. You're a huge part of who I am. I don't think I'd be the guy I am if you hadn't been in my life." I felt my heart plunge. I knew he had a past, but I would think that it would be our memories that would be his favorite.

"I'm sorry for your mom's dinner. Marissa invited me and she never told me that _she_ was going to be there."

"I'm sorry too if I was an ass at all. I just didn't like that the two of you appeared to be ganging up on my girlfriend."

"It's not serious, right? I mean, I just thought you planned to be with another native. That's how you always talked."

"I thought that was what I wanted, but things changed." _More like fate made him change_, I thought bitterly.

"They didn't have to, Sam. We worked so well together. Everyone thought so, they still do. Why can't you see that? What does she have that I don't? All I see is what I have and she doesn't." _That's all I'm starting to see as well, so you're not alone_, Lee-lee. Sam didn't have a nickname for me. He called me baby, but half the men in American call their girlfriends that too.

"Leah, don't be like that. Bella's great and she's who I want."

"You're going to face so many problems with her."

"Then I'll overcome them with her by my side." At least he's admitting that they're will be issues. I was starting to think he wouldn't.

"We were easy. We were simple. We didn't have to overcome anything. We fit together naturally." I cringed. She had it perfect. If there was no magic, she would still have Sam. And me, I'd be alone. "You used to see that, believe that. I don't understand what happened. You just break up with me for no reason out of the blue one day. Give me one good reason, Sam. Don't I deserve that?"

"Of course you do, Lee. I just don't have an answer for you."

"Did you not love me anymore?"

"I did, Leah. I really did." Crack, there went the last pieces of my heart.

"I just don't understand, Sam. Make me understand why she gets you."

"She's who I'm meant to be with."

"Meant to be with? What like fate? Screw fate, Sam. When did you become someone that is told what to do? You make your own decisions."

"Leah, you don't understand, and I can't make you. I'm sorry, I just can't give you the answers you need or want. I wish I could." _I bet he wishes he could be with her. That he never imprinted. That he never had to give up his chosen love._

"Well, from where I stand, you're just making a mistake. The whole tribe knows how perfect we were together. You're the only one who can't seem to see it, though from you're lack of answers, it makes me wonder if you know it deep down too."

"Leah…"

"It's fine. Go do your little rebellious thing with the pale face girl. I'll be here waiting for you to get whatever it is that's gotten into your system out. And then we'll be together like we always planned."

"Leah, that won't be happening. You need to move on." _Not that he's once said that he didn't _want_ it to happen. Never has he said that he loved me more, that we fit together better. Never did Sam say he _wanted_ me. That he _chose_ me. It was the imprint and _only the imprint. _He didn't really want me, he was given no choice_.

"I don't think I do. I know you, Samuel Uley, better than anyone, and I say we'll be together once and for all in due time."

"No, Leah, we won't."

"Whatever you say, Sam. I'll just go get your drinks then."

"Lee, I think it would be best if someone else waited on us."

"Oh come on, Sammy. Can't your girl take a little competition?"

"Lee-lee, please." There was those stupid names again.

"Fine, Tammy will be over then. I know you're not a fan of Sadie's."

"Thank you."

"Right," she muttered before walking back toward the kitchen in back of the restaurant.

"Baby, you get lost back there? I was just about to send out the search party." _Yeah, right. He probably hardly noticed my being in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes since he had his dear Leah to keep him company._

"Yeah, sorry, Renée called and it's nearly impossible to get her to hang up," I lied.

"Oh yeah, well, she doesn't get to see or talk to you often. She probably just misses you."

"Uh huh, you're most likely right. So where are our drinks?"

"Oh, um, Tammy hasn't brought them back. Food here is great, service not always such," he chuckled.

"Okay."

Tammy soon enough brought us our drinks and took our orders. Sam told me more about the girls from the rec center and how the leather work went. While he spoke, I played with my own bracelet, wondering if Sam ever would have noticed me without the imprint. And if he had, would he go through all the trouble he is to keep me.

The remainder of the meal went quietly. Sam could tell something was bothering me, but left me to my own thoughts. Once upon a time I thought that was because he knew me so well, but now I was wondering if it was because he didn't really care. I knew that was wrong to think. Sam loved me, I didn't doubt that. I just wondered how true his love was and how better off he would be without me. Leah still meant a lot to him, which was easy to see. If he had the choice, he would probably have chosen a life with her by his side.

Sam offered to drive me back to Forks, but I declined. I wanted some time to myself to think about what I'd heard that day and decide if it meant anything. Or if it would change anything.


	25. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I avoided Sam for the rest of the week. I didn't know what to do. I loved him, but now I questioned his love for me. I didn't want to be loved because of magic. I wanted to be loved because of who I was as a person, not as a baby maker or whatever other reason imprinting had in mind.

School and work gave me excuse enough during the week, but the weekend didn't hold as much power. Sam knew my schedule and it hardly ever changed. He knew I would have Friday night off and that I would only work until around four on Saturday.

Friday I prepared a large dinner. I scooped out enough for Charlie's dinner and wrapped the rest up to take with me. After gathering everything up, I drove to La Push. I complained of being tired from the week so that he would agree to a night in at his place. I didn't want to run into anymore res gossipers, and especially not Leah. I asked if Jared and Kim would be interested in hanging out with us, but Sam said they already had plans of their own. That was a big disappointment. Even though I didn't want to hear the town's disapproval gossip, I didn't really want to be left alone with Sam. That meant I probably wouldn't get to evade the serious talk that was needed. Sam was observant; he'd notice my shift in attitude.

As soon as I pulled up he greeted me with a wide smile. I found myself forgetting all the other crap, Leah and imprinting. He seemed genuinely happy to see me. Maybe I was imagining it all. Maybe he did love me.

"I missed you, baby," he said pulling me into a hug.

"You too," I said meaning it. Though it was my fault I hadn't seen him and I was worried about the imprinting and Leah stuff, I still missed being with him.

"We can't go that long without seeing one another. It hurts not to see you."

And with that the imprinting issue came back into my mind. Did it hurt his heart because he loved me or did it hurt because the imprint pull was too strong and hated the separation?

"Yeah, sorry, but you know how busy I can get with school and work."

"I know, and I understand. I just wish you could fit me somewhere in that busy schedule. Doesn't the boyfriend earn any priority points?" he joked.

"I don't know, can you get me into college or pay me money?"

"Not so much. But I can pay in kisses," he countered teasingly.

I took the kiss he offered and pulled back first. That was a rarity. After being denied by Edward for so long, I always took advantage of the long kisses that Sam awarded me.

Sam sighed and I knew he realized something was off, but he seemed to shrug it off.

"Ready to go inside?"

"Sure, can you help with the food?"

"Of course I will, baby."

We ate our meal in almost silence, only sharing a few things that happened over the week to us. After we finish, Sam and I made our way to the living room. I cuddled into his side as we watched some cop show. I didn't really pay attention to it much; instead I concentrated on the warmth of Sam's body seeping into mine.

As the cop show ended I asked if we could find something a little more interesting. He rolled his eyes and flipped through the channels. He stopped at some sport game and I groaned.

"Sam, not sports, please," I whined.

"Just a sec, baby, I wanna see the line ups for tomorrow's games." I counted to two, because to count to one just seemed overkill.

"Okay second up, move on."

I knew it was rude and a bit childish, but I sat through enough sports with Charlie, I didn't want to do it with Sam too. Sports held no interest for me and there had to be more appealing things on television.

He huffed, but changed the channel.

"Oh, stop, stop, stop," I said spotting the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice on PBS. The television continued to switch channels. "Sam, go back."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I don't want a chick flick tonight."

"I didn't want to watch the cop show," I muttered.

"And we're not watching it anymore, are we?"

"It was over."

"There was another episode on and you know it," he snapped. I pulled away from him hurt. He'd never taken such a tone with me before.

"Sam, what is your deal?" I asked cautiously.

He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry, Bella. It was just a long day. I didn't mean to snap at you. I apologize. I'm taking my anger out on the wrong person."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now, but thanks."

It was silent for a few minutes, neither one making a move to start back up the conversation. Five minutes later and I realized that we were on the same station he was as we started our little fight. I was assuming that since Sam didn't know Spanish and we were on Spanish speaking channel that he was lost somewhere in his thoughts.

"Sam," I began quietly.

"Hmm," he sounded distractedly.

"Can we find an English speaking channel?"

"What?" He asked confused. I nodded to the television and his eyes followed. "Oh, crap, sorry."

"Not a problem. You know there's an awesome movie about six stations back."

"Not that one," he groaned, obviously still not a fan of Colin Firth.

"Please," I begged.

"Bella," he whined, drawing out my name.

"Sammy," I said in the same manner. I noticed him flinch. It was then I noticed what I'd said. I hadn't meant to call him that, but I guess it was still in my mind that Leah did. I had been curious over the week what he'd do if I called him that. Well, I was about to get my answer.

"Bella, could you not call me that."

"Why?" I asked confused. I didn't see the big deal. If Leah could, then I should be able to.

"I don't know. I just don't like it. It makes me sound like I'm five years old."

"I can't have a pet name for you?" I questioned, not wanting to bring up the fact that Leah called him that quite yet.

"You can, Bella, just not that one."

"Why?" I asked more pressingly.

"I just told you, I don't like it."

"You didn't seem to mind when Leah called you that."

"Leah? When did you hear Leah call me that?"

"That's not the point, Sam. Why can she call you that and I can't?"

"Because you listen, because you care that I don't like it. I hate when she calls me that. But after five or so years, I've learned that she's going to call me that regardless of what I want or like."

"I don't like it."

"The name? Neither do I, so there shouldn't be an issue. Pick something else."  
"No, that she still calls you that."

"Baby, I can't really help that, now can I?"

"You still call her 'Lee-lee'."

"I – " he began but stopped. "I do, but only out of habit. I don't mean anything behind it, I've just been calling her that for so long that I don't even notice when I do it."

"Well, can you make a conscious decision to stop?"

"Bella, what's the big deal?"

"You don't have one for me."

"Of course I do. I call you 'baby'."

"Half the male population calls their significant other 'baby'."

"You want a nickname, I can think of one for you. You want to give me one, that's fine, just not Sammy, please."

"It's not just about the nicknames, Sam."

"All right, obviously something has been bothering you all week, Bella, and I tried to be patient and let you bring up the topic, but you haven't. And now you are but you sound like I should automatically know what the problem is. But you've got to tell me things. I'm not a freaking mind reader like your leech ex. So what is this really about, Bella?"

"Don't bring Edward into this! And he couldn't read my mind so that argument doesn't even work," I said standing up. Edward hadn't done anything. We broke and he left state. Leah was still around to annoy the crap out of me.

"You've brought my ex into this, why can't I bring yours into this fight?" Sam stood as well, following my action.

"Because my ex doesn't seem to pop up everywhere and flirt with me."

"I can't control where she is or what she does, Bella."

"But you can control how you react and behave around her."

"Meaning what?" he scoffed.

"Meaning why didn't you send her away immediately at the restaurant? Why did you flirt with her?"

"First off, I never flirted with her. She's my _friend_. I've known her almost my entire life. I can't just write her off like she means nothing to me. We have a past, history. We didn't break up on bad terms. We broke up so that I could try and break her heart a little less."

"Because you knew you'd be forced to be with me later on."

"Forced? What are you going on about now? I don't understand you sometimes, woman," he growled out.

"You didn't want me. Fate gave me to you with or without your permission."

"Of course I want you, Bella. I love you!"

"Do you? Or is it just the imprint?"

"I. Love. You. _I,_ Samuel Uley, love _you,_ Isabella Swan. No magic did that. We've talked about this before, Bella."

"That was before I saw how perfect you and Leah really are together."

"We aren't perfect together. I've told you that too."

"The whole tribe thinks so. And I do mean the _whole_ tribe, with maybe the exceptions of Jared and Kim."

"I don't fucking care what the tribe thinks, Bella. I _know_ you're perfect for me."

"Why, why am I perfect for you?

"Because you're you. You complete me."

"And?"

"And I love you."

"Not enough, Sam."

"Wha– what are you talking about? Not enough of and for what?"

"I need reasons. I know why I love you. You're strong, but kind. You take care of those around you without question. You're brave, selfless, confident, and intelligent. Every time you walk in the room my stomach gets butterflies because you're so damn beautiful. The simplest touch from you makes me feel on fire. I get lost in your dark eyes as if it feels like I'm seeing straight into your soul."

"Shouldn't the fact that I love you be enough? I love you because we're meant to be together, because you make me whole."

I looked at him for a minute before responding, "Wrong answer." And then I left.


	26. Chapter 26

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I blindly drove, not having a destination in mind. I didn't want to go home because I knew Charlie would be there. I would never get up the stairs without having to sit down and talk. Knowing I couldn't drive forever, I settled on First Beach.

This was when having a best friend would be handy. I needed to talk with someone and the list of options was anything but perfect. The first logical choice would be Kim, but I knew she and Jared had whatever special plans they'd planned for. I didn't feel comfortable calling Angela. Yes, we were friends, but we hadn't been as close since she first started dating Ben and I began dating Edward. I could call Edward. He knew everything to know about the situation, even having been inside Sam's mind. But I chose against him as an option. I had to consider how it might hurt Edward if I came to him for relationship advice with the man I chose over him. Then there was Alice, my once best friend. Alice being a force to be reckoned with, might, as much as I loved her, give me advice that would lead me back to Edward. I knew she was hurt that I left her family, and she had a need to have things her own way.

My next thought was of Jacob Black. Ever since he learned of my relationship with Sam he took to avoiding me. So I didn't think he would be any more interested in seeing me now than he had been the last couple of weeks.

That left me alone to deal with my problems. Why couldn't Sam just tell me why he loved me? Why couldn't he reassure me that he loved me on his own freewill? I loved him so much and it hurt to think of not being with him. But how could? Could I lower myself to being in a relationship based on a lie? His love for me was a lie. Magic or fate or whatever it was made him love me. It wasn't real. Then there was the knowledge that taking me away from Sam would hurt him. I didn't know if I could knowingly hurt the man I loved.

At some point in my thoughts I had put the truck in park in one of the spots in the parking lot at First Beach. I looked out the window to see it raining buckets. _No surprise there_, I thought bitterly. My plan to walk on the beach dissipated in front of me.

A sudden tap on the window caused me to jump in my seat. I turned to see a very wet Jacob standing at my door.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

I debated on lying, but settled on the truth. I shook my head.

"Open up the other door. I'm coming around." He disappeared from the window and I reached over to unlock the passenger door. Jake yanked the door open, flew inside the cab and shut the door quickly.

"Wow, it's really storming out there. Which brings me to question what you're doing sitting her."

"I needed to think."

"Couldn't find a more peaceful place?" he teased.

"The rain sort of ruined my plan."

"Yeah, it tends to do that around here. So what did you need to think about?"

"Some things that have come up with Sam."

Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What did he do?"

"Why do you assume _he_ did the doing?"

"Because he'd be stupid not to forgive you instantly for anything you could have done. Plus, you're too sweet and kind to ever hurt anyone, at least on purpose. And if it was an accident, then there would be nothing to apologize for. Though, knowing you, you could be here thinking and punishing yourself for something that's not even your fault. Which in turn means it would be his fault. So pick your reasoning, but my bet is that he did something."

"Well…" I began, avoiding eye contact.

"See, I told ya." I looked over to see him grinning like a mad man.

"Don't get too cocky there, Jacob."

"Seriously, Bella, you can talk to me. I'm sorry I've been a jerk the past couple of weeks. I'm just not in Sam's fan club and to know that you would date him, even after what I told you…upsets me."

"He's a good person, Jake. In all honesty, you see only the surface and none of the underlying reasoning. And don't worry about the past. That's where it lies, so let's leave it there."

"I like the way you think, Bells. Though, you might be too forgiving. I definitely deserve some whiplash from deliberately ignoring you so much. But if you insist we move on, I won't complain. So back to the person you evidently haven't forgiven, if Sam's such a great guy, why are you sitting in the pouring rain alone in an empty parking lot?"

"You know about his past relationship with Leah."

"Sure, I was the one to first tell you, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, you did. I thought they were over and done with completely. But apparently she has a knack for finding herself in the same place as him. Plus he still thinks of her as a friend, one he, from the sounds of it, plans to keep in his life indefinitely."

"Being friends with an ex doesn't sound like a crime, Bella. Are you maybe overreacting a bit? You know I'm not an enthusiast of the guy, but you've got to give him some room. Some guys go for the jealous girlfriend type, but not many. And to be honest, I don't see Sam being that type of guy."

"I give him room!" I said affronted. "And I'm not jea–" I stopped mid-word, because the truth stood that I was jealous, extremely jealous. "Okay, I am jealous, immensely so, but I have good reason. You haven't heard me out completely. Her showing up isn't what bothers me so much; it's what happens when she does."

"And what exactly happens?"

"She flirts shamelessly with Sam. And he does it back, though I'm not sure that he realizes that he's flirting. He thinks he's just acting how one should with a friend. Only she's not just some friend, she's a _friend_ that's seen him in ways I haven't."

"We're talking about sex, right?" he asked through narrowed eyes.

"Yes, but let us not anymore. Moving to a different issue, they have pet names for one another and they still use them."

"All right, I can see how that might make you feel uncomfortable. Do you have names for one another?"

"No, not really. I only call him Sam. And when I questioned being able to call him 'Sammy' like Leah does, he freaked out. Told me not to use that name, not that I would because she came up with it, but it still hurt that he won't even allow me use it."

"And Sam doesn't call you anything? Not even 'Bells'?"

"Nope, he usually calls me 'baby'. But as I told him, half the male population uses that. I bet some even use it so that they don't accidently say the wrong name."

Jacob snorted. "I'd be willing to bet you're right about some guys. I'm sure that's not why Sam uses it though."

"Perhaps not, but still, he calls her 'Lee-lee'. It's so cute I want to vomit. He does on rare occasion call me 'mé'oonna'."

"See, I know what that means and I know that some of the male population uses it, but not in that form."

"I know and I do value the difference, but he hasn't used the name in awhile. I miss him calling me 'mé'oonna'. It made me feel special."

"Okay, so the issue is that you feel he puts more emphasis on Leah with the usage of nicknames."

"Yeah," I said, feeling like it was such a minor thing spoken aloud to some else.

"So it's an easy fix then, nothing to end a relationship over. The flirting though, that might be a bigger deal. Did you point out what things were flirting specifically to him?"

"No."

"Next time you should. Like you said, he probably just doesn't realize it. He has to make a more conscious effort, but he'll need you help and direction. That dated for a long time, and old habits die hard. Just give him a bit of time to relearn how to act around her. Okay, so any of Leah related problems?"

"It's not just about Leah, it's the whole tribe."

"The whole tribe, huh?" he chuckled. "What did we do?" he teased, though I didn't laugh.

"No one likes me, Jake," I whined, sounding like a five year old.

"Everyone loves you, Bella; you're hard to dislike. Kind of like how people love kittens, even if they're not fans of cats, people naturally like you."

He tried, he did. But sometimes he was too nice and too naïve. People did not naturally like me. In fact, some naturally disliked me. Point in case: Paul and Rosalie. Though both had their reasoning, each disliked me immediately upon meeting me, if not before.

"Not true, Jake. Plenty of people don't like me, but maybe I should reword myself anyway. Everyone disapproves of me."

"Disapproves?"

"No one thinks I'm right for Sam."

"Oh, because you're a pale face and he's the closet thing this tribe has to a chief besides my dad, right?"

"Yes, everyone thinks he should marry Leah."

"Obviously not everyone thinks that."

"Why do you say that?" Did he know something I didn't?

Jake rolled his eyes before answering, "Sam clearly doesn't think that way or else the two of them would be married already."

"He's stuck with me," was my explanation for that.

"Stuck with you? You do realize that you keep saying things that make little to no sense, right? Why would any man feel stuck with you? Sam should feel honored to have your affection. I know I would."

Cue blush. I hated when Jacob made such comments. I would have thought with me now dating Sam, even with our current problems, Jacob would have lay off the lines.

"He doesn't feel stuck with me, he _is_ stuck with me." _God, how do I explain this without all the mythical creature hoopla? _"Sam has this idea that we're meant to be together. That he and I are soul mates."

"Do you believe that too?"

"Yes," I answered automatically. "We are soul mates, I firmly believe that. But the problem is that I don't want Sam to be with me for only the reason that he thinks he's supposed to. I want him to…"

"Want you for you, no outside influences."

"Exactly, I know why I love Sam. I can list off everything I love about him."

"And you doubt his love for you, that his love for you is true?"

I nodded my head solemnly, "Yeah, I do."

"Why?"

"I asked him why he loved me; he said because we belong together, that I complete him."

"Not sure if he could have been a little vaguer," Jacob mumbled, but I caught it.

"My point exactly. His lack of an answer leaves me believing that it's just the imp– I mean soul mate thing that keeps him with me. I don't want my entire life based off of some false love."

And you shouldn't have to, Bella. Maybe he's just stupid."

"That's your answer, he's stupid?"

"Not actually, just that he's a guy, Bella."

"Thank you, Jacob; I'd never realized that before. Here all this time, I thought I was in a relationship with a girl. My mistake," I said sardonically.

He ignored my comment, continuing, "Guys don't think like girls."

"Again with the obvious, Jake."

"See, right now is a perfect example. I think I'm being clear in my answer, but you clearly don't. There's a communication barrier between the sexes. Perhaps Sam has more trouble than most getting over that hurdle. He's not exactly a teddy bear kind of guy, Bells. He's mom has high expectations of him, he's dad split when he was young. Sam has no siblings or close cousins."

"Your point?"

"He probably doesn't know how to open up. You know, with his feelings and junk. Most of us guys generally suck in that area."

"So you're saying he may love me for me, but he just doesn't know how to express that properly."

"Precisely what I'm telling you."

"Well, that's stupid."

"I apologize on behalf of my entire gender that we, too, are not perfect."

"What's this 'too' you speak of? Females are perfect as far as I know," I teased.

"There's a lot you don't know, Bella. That is why you have me, your best friend, to help you out on occasion."

"I guess I'll keep you around."

"Gee thanks, Bells," he said rolling his eyes. His face turned serious before continuing on, "Seriously though, you should just give him a chance to tell you how he feels. Don't get flustered if he doesn't catch on right away. Just explain your position like you did to me and see what he says."

"I would think you would be telling me to just dump his ass."

"That's what I would say if I didn't really care about you. You clearly love him or you wouldn't be so torn up now. And so the best thing I can do is to give you the best advice to keep and better your relationship with him. I just want to see you happy, Bells."

"You're too good of a friend, Jake. I don't deserve you."

"Well, it's a good thing your opinion doesn't matter then. I decide who my friends are and I say you qualify with flying colors."

"You're also a big dork," I laughed.

"You must be one too to have a best friend that's a dork."

"I suppose I am."

I cranked up the truck and started for Jacob's house. It was getting late and I needed to head home. Charlie would be worrying. I didn't want him sending out the hounds looking for me.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, I voiced a question that had been bothering me, "By the way, why were you walking in the rain before you tapped on my window?" Jacob gave me 'are you kidding' look. "What, it's a reasonable question?"

"Do I look stupid, Bella? Walking in the torrential downpour called rain does not appeal to me. No, I was driving by with Embry; he just got his license. I made him stop after I saw your truck sitting there."

"Oh, well, I'm glad you stopped. I really needed to talk to someone. I even thought of you as someone to talk with, but I figured you wouldn't want anything to do with me still."

"Bells, I'm really sorry about ignoring you. My dislike for Sam shouldn't interfere with our friendship. I won't let him get in the way of relationship. You should know, no matter what you decide with Sam, you always have me as a friend to stand by your side."

"Thanks, Jacob. I hated thinking I'd lost you. I need my sunshine. I do really value our friendship."

"Me too."

He hopped out of the truck and ran up under the porch overhang. Before opening the front door, he turned to wave and grin at me. I had my friend back. At least one good thing came from today.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note:** So this chapter took a life of its own. Kim's part became smaller and smaller the more I wrote. It's still there, but other parts took more center. It is in Sam's POV like I said it would probably be in. Anyway, hope you like it. It's longer than many of the previous chapters have been.

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

I couldn't believe we were actually fighting about nicknames. There had to be more to it than that. After all, she'd avoided me all week. I knew work and school hadn't kept her busy every single day like she claimed. I had let it go, hoping all she needed was time to get over whatever was bothering her. Perhaps she would talk to me eventually. Clearly, that approach didn't work.

"All right, obviously something has been bothering you all week, Bella, and I tried to be patient and let you bring up the topic, but you haven't. And now you are but you sound like I should automatically know what the problem is. But you've got to tell me things. I'm not a freaking mind reader like your leech ex. So what is this really about, Bella?"

"Don't bring Edward into this! And he couldn't read my mind so that argument doesn't even work," she said standing up. The argument started with my ex, so why couldn't hers make an appearance?

"You've brought my ex into this, why can't I bring yours into this fight?" I stood as well, my inner wolf not liking being yelled at from above as if he was inferior.

"Because my ex doesn't seem to pop up everywhere and flirt with me." _What the fuck is she going on about now? This woman is going to drive me insane._

"I can't control where she is or what she does, Bella."

"But you can control how you react and behave around her."

"Meaning what?" I sneered. I hadn't acted any certain away around Leah. I acted the same as I always did, even before I imprinted on Bella.

"Meaning why didn't you send her away immediately at the restaurant? Why did you flirt with her?" _Send her away? What is wrong with Bella, I never flirted with Leah? _

"First off, I never flirted with her. She's my _friend_. I've known her almost my entire life. I can't just write her off like she means nothing to me. We have a past, history. We didn't break up on bad terms. We broke up so that I could try and break her heart a little less."

"Because you knew you'd be forced to be with me later on." _What has gotten into her? Where is all this coming from? Can she seriously think I feel forced into the relationship?_

"Forced? What are you going on about now? I don't understand you sometimes, woman," I growled out.

"You didn't want me. Fate gave me to you with or without your permission." _It's official, she's gone mad. _

"Of course I want you, Bella. I love you!"

"Do you? Or is it just the imprint?"_ How can she doubt me like that? Yeah, fate pointed me in her direction, but the love is my own._

"I. Love. You. _I,_ Samuel Uley, love _you,_ Isabella Swan. No magic did that. We've talked about this before, Bella." _I told her all about this when I explained what imprinting was, didn't I? Was I the only one there for that conversation?_

"That was before I saw how perfect you and Leah really are together."

"We aren't perfect together. I've told you that too." _I know I said that, because it's true. Leah and I certainly had our issues. Both of our tempers got in the way with one another on too many occasions. _

"The whole tribe thinks so. And I do mean the _whole_ tribe, with maybe the exceptions of Jared and Kim." _That can't be true, maybe most of the tribe, but not all. And they shouldn't get a say in our relationship anyways. This is between her and me, alone._

"I don't fucking care what the tribe thinks, Bella. I _know_ you're perfect for me." I didn't know how to say it, other than to just say it.

"Why, why am I perfect for you?" _What kind of question is that? It feels like a trick question._

"Because you're you. You complete me."

"And?" _And what? What does she want from me? A kidney, a lung, whatever she wants, I'll give it._

"And I love you."

"Not enough, Sam."

"Wha– what are you talking about? Not enough of and for what?" _What kind of answer is she looking for? I love her, what else could she need from me?_

"I need reasons. I know why I love you. You're strong, but kind. You take care of those around you without question. You're brave, selfless, confident, and intelligent. Every time you walk in the room my stomach gets butterflies because you're so damn beautiful. The simplest touch from you makes me feel on fire. I get lost in your dark eyes as if it feels like I'm seeing straight into your soul."

If I hadn't been so incredibly pissed and frustrated, I might have seen what she wanted more clearly, or maybe I still wouldn't have. I undoubtedly thought that my love should be the only thing she needed. It was the only thing I needed from her. There are dozens of reasons that I love her, but I didn't see how listing them out would do anything. This was a big mistake on my part.

"Shouldn't the fact that I love you be enough? I love you because we're meant to be together, because you make me whole." How could I not love my soul mate? How could I not want her forever? She filled every gap and whole I had, and made me a better man. Why didn't she see that like I did?

It felt like forever before she looked at me to answer, "Wrong answer."

With those two words, she left.

I stood in my living room shocked. What did she mean 'wrong answer'? How can there be a wrong answer? I thought it was an interpretive answer, one that could be answered in many ways. Clearly Bella didn't agree. What did I giving the "wrong answer" mean for us now? Is she mad and needed time to cool off and then we'd pick up where we left off? Or did it mean we were over? No, that couldn't be it. I'd die without her.

I sunk to the couch. It was just a fight. A bad one, but we'd get through it. And though we'd never really fought before, I had faith we would work our way through it, right? We would. We had to. We both just needed a little time to cool off and tomorrow we would talk and make up. I decided to go to bed and see her tomorrow.

* * *

I woke up Saturday morning feeling hopeful. The dim light coming through the windows told me it was too early to call Bella. So I got up to take a shower and get ready for the day. I did a few other things around the house that I'd been neglecting.

When I couldn't stand it anymore I went straight to the phone. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was only eight o'clock. For most homes it would be too early to call, but the Chief would either be at the station or out fishing at this hour and Bella was never one to sleep in. It rang and rang. The answering machine picked up after the fifth ring. I hung up without leaving message.

I didn't think she worked the morning shift this Saturday, but the late afternoon shift. She could have changed it since she first told me or as a result of the previous night. Feeling a bit like a stalker, I hopped in my truck and made the drive into Forks. I took a small detour to pass her house on the way to Newton's Olympic Outfitters. The driveway sat empty and I continued my drive. I arrived at Newton's at nearly nine o'clock. Nowhere in the parking lot did I see her red truck. I went inside anyway, to at least find out when she did in fact work.

Walking in the doors, I saw the Mike kid standing behind the counter. He looked up to see her had caused the bell on the door to ring and I saw him shrink back. I fought the urge to grin. I knew the kid had a thing for Bella, honestly who didn't in this stupid town, and I enjoyed seeing him fidget under my stare. I approached him and saw him take a deep breath.

"Sam, right?" I nodded. "Bella doesn't come in until three."

"All right and when does she get off?"

"Um, depends on how busy we turn out to be, but probably between eight and nine."

"Thanks, Mitch," I said, enjoying him flinch at the wrong name. I turned and headed for the door. It was much easier getting the information I needed than I had thought going in.

"It's Mike," he mumbled; it would have been too low for any human to have heard. My wolf hearing allowed me to hear it and I no longer fought the wolf grin on my face. A small chuckled even escaped from me. It was good to have fun once in awhile and reminding the kid who he dealt with if he didn't keep his distance from Bella at the same time worked wonders on my mood.

Once I reached my truck, my mood fell. It was then that I realized I had no clue where my imprint was. She wasn't at home or at work. She hung out with the Angela girl once in awhile, so she could have been with her. Though I didn't think they would have much to do so early on a Saturday.

That left me with the idea that she could be with Jacob. God, I hated that thought. If Mike Newton had a thing for Bella, Jacob Black was in puppy love with her. I couldn't decide if I wanted the boy to phase or not. On one side Bella would have a friend and I could order him to back off as long as I still held Alpha position. On the other, I would be forced to share thoughts with the little punk and eventually, when he was ready, I would answer to him as my Alpha.

I started my truck back up and headed back to La Push. They would either be at the Black's home or on First Beach. I'd stop by the house before heading to the beach. I needed to talk to her today. It couldn't wait. The longer our unresolved fight lasted, the tighter the ache in my chest got.

Pulling onto the small dirt drive around nine-thirty, I could see her red beast sitting idle. It still didn't mean that she was there; they could have walked from the house to the beach. I shut my truck off and strolled toward the front porch. I touched the hood of her car before walking up the steps. It was cold to the touch. She'd been there for awhile.

Before I could knock, the door opened. There sat Billy in his wheel chair. He motioned for me to move back and he rolled through the doorway, pulling the door shut behind him.

"I don't what you did, but you screwed up."

"Thanks, Billy, I didn't already realize that. The question is what did I exactly do that was such a screw up?"

"I don't know, Sam, but need to find out and fast."

"Well, then can you let me inside?"

He lowered head, sighed loudly and shoot his head. "I can't do that. Sorry."

"What do you mean you can't do that?"

"She doesn't want to see you, Sam."

"She said that?"

"Yep, when we heard the truck door, Jake got up to see who it was. She asked to not see you. As a guest of my house, I have to abide by her wishes."

"Come on, Billy. Seriously, you're not going to let me see my imprint."

"I don't think you should talk to her until you know exactly what you did wrong."

"And how I am supposed to figure it out without talking to her?"

"I don't know."

I sighed frustrated. "You aren't being a lot of help right now, Billy."

"I'm sorry, Sam. But you got to do this yourself. I do know that that girl in there loves you and you still have a shot with her. Just don't take to long to figure out your wrong and then do one hell of a job to correct it."

"Are you sure you can't just pretend to let me pass you? I mean, we all know I could get around you if I wanted to, which I do."

"Now, Sam, what kind of girl would want a man that would shove an old man in a wheelchair out of the way?" he chuckled. He had a good point, but he didn't need to laugh in my face. There was nothing funny about my current situation.

"Fine, point taken. I'll find another way to get to her."

The old man just smirked at me before opening the door and rolling back inside where my imprint hid from me. After glaring at the door, I stomped back to the truck. Instead of sitting in my house to pout, I decided to go finish up some work on the house I'd been working on during the week. Keeping my hands busy would keep my mind from wondering to Bella so much.

* * *

I got home around six in the evening. I still had two hours to waste before I could start calling the Swan residence. I'd done everything around the house I could to waste time that morning, so I zoned out in front of the television for two hours.

The minute the clock stuck eight, I had the phone in my hand ready to dial. I punched in her numbers and heard it ring. Two rings in, it stopped.

"Hello," Charlie's distracted voice called. I figured he was sitting in front of the television watching some ball game.

"Hey, Chief, is Bella home yet from work?"

"Sam. No she's not."

"All right, I'll just call back then in a bit."

"I can just tell her when she comes in."

I wasn't so sure that would result in her calling me back, but I didn't want to let Charlie in on our fight. "Um, okay. Thanks, Chief."

"Sure, no problem. See you later, Sam."

So I sat, with the television on mute, by the telephone for the next hour. The silence was deafening, knowing that she would have been home by now. I spent five minutes debating with myself whether I should call again or not. Really the debate was pointless; I knew full well that I would call before I ever tried to convince myself not to. I had to call.

Again I heard the ring through the receiver. After three rings this time, I heard Charlie's voice again.

"Hello," he drew out, like he already knew it was me.

"Hello again, Chief. She there yet?"

"Um…" he paused.

I heard Bella's soft voice in the background, "Not here."

"She is not here yet, Sam."

"I know she is, Chief. Please, just let me have five minutes. I need to talk to her."

"I don't think that's a good idea tonight. Why don't you give her a few days? Then the two of you can talk about whatever it is that's bothering her."

"Dad," I heard her whine.

"Okay, or not. Bella, why don't you head up stairs? I'll take care of this." I heard her footsteps fade. Charlie cleared his throat before continuing with me, "Sam, I think you should just wait for her to contact you."

"I can't do that, Chief. I need to talk to her. I…I need her."

"I like you, Sam. You know that. But you have to remember that Bella is still in high school. I don't know if the two of you are getting too serious, too quick. Bella already did that with Cullen, and she doesn't need to get in over her head again."

"Chief, I know as a father you may not want to hear this, but I'm in this relationship for good. I don't intend to go anywhere. We had a fight, I'm not entirely sure what about, but I need to talk to her, so I can fix it, whatever 'it' is."

"Sam, she seemed pretty torn up last night and this morning. She left early to hang out with Jacob. She came home in a pretty bad mood. I think she just needs a little time to herself before you approach her. And if I can suggest one piece of advice, find out what you did wrong _before_ you talk to her. If she's anything like her mother, it will only piss her off more if you apologize for some unknown reason."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind."

"All right, son. Take care, but I'm serious, about not calling. You don't call her, she'll call you. I don't want you trying to contact her and holding up my phone line. Being chief of police, I need this line generally free."

"I understand, Chief. Would you object if I came over to speak with her?"

"Nah, I guess I don't see harm in that, but try to know what you did before you do."

"Thanks again, I'll hopefully see you soon."

"Good luck, Sam."

"Night." I stared at the phone as the dial tone sounded. Another bust. Today obviously was not my day, aside from my little fun with the Newton boy.

She had now refused to talk to me twice. What did that mean? Would she ever decide to talk to me? Perhaps this meant we really were breaking up. How would I survive that? That was easy, I couldn't. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to. I didn't want a life without my Bella. Billy and Charlie both seemed to think she would speak to me in her own time, but what if that time never came? I might actually have to consider a life without her. I shuddered at the thought. Though I didn't want a life without her, I couldn't abandon the pack. Jared and Paul were nowhere near ready to be on their own.

I considered filling my night like I did the other time I thought I lost Bella. Beer sounded great after that phone call. Instead I slumped down on the couch and closed my eyes. I wished that the last twenty-four hours were all a nightmare that I would wake up from in the morning.

* * *

I awoke to a bang on the door. I sat halfway up on the couch. I stretched out, hearing a few loud pops. Couches were not a place for werewolves to sleep. Not nearly enough room.

"Come in," I yelled after the banging noise went on for a second time.

Jared and Kim strolled into my living room. I narrowed my eyes at them, not sure why they were standing in my house.

"Why are you here?" I asked shortly. I wasn't in a mood to play babysitter. I wanted to sit alone in my house and figure out what I planned to do to get Bella to talk to me.

"Um, weren't we supposed to be having a pack meeting today?" Jared asked wearily from the door way.

"What?" I asked stupidly. _I tried to think of what day it was. Friday was the fight, Saturday the day she ignored me. That makes today Sunday, I suppose._

"Pack meeting, Sunday at ten o'clock. We're supposed to work out the patrol schedule for the next two weeks." _My calculations were correct. God, I didn't feel like dealing with them today?_

"Oh yeah, right." I glanced around the room; Paul looked to be late as usual. Not like I had much room to talk that day. I, the Alpha, had forgotten about the meeting.

"Sam, are you all right?" Kim asked from Jared's side.

I looked at her dejectedly. "I think Bella broke up with me, or at least she refuses to talk to me."

"Oh fuck," Jared breathed out.

"Sam, what happened?" Kim asked softly.

"We fought."

"About what exactly?"

"Leah, nicknames, imprinting, love," I mumbled out the key points.

"That doesn't sound too good," Jared remarked.

Kim glared at him and came to sit next to me on the couch. "Tell me what happened exactly?"

And so I relayed the whole fight back to them. As I explained further into the fight, Kim's face filled with understanding and Jared's scrunch up face displayed the same confusion I had.

"So she asked why I loved her."

"And your answer was…"

"I said that I love her because she completes me."

"That was the wrong answer," Kim snorted.

"That's exactly what she said," I complained. "I don't see the big deal. I'm sorry that I didn't hand out a list of the reasons, they all boil down to the same thing, she gets me and she completes me."

"You're an idiot," Kim said, hitting me upside the head with the telephone book that had been on the coffee table.

"Hey, watch it," I growled lightly. Jared moved closer to Kim. "Oh please, I'm not going to hurt her."

"I don't growl at your imprint, I'd appreciate that you didn't at mine as well."

"Jared, babe, shut up. There are more important things at hand," Kim chastised.

"So I'm an idiot. Care to explain why? I gave her the truthful answer."

Kim drew in a deep breath before addressing me. "I understand that you have a handicap because you're of the male species. And I know that's not your fault. It's just how the cards were dealt. But you have got to overcome that handicap or you'll lose Bella."

"I'm not handicapped," I all but whined.

"Yes, you are. You can't show emotion. I get that you're the big, bad Alpha that shouldn't show any weakness. That's fine when you patrol, hang out with the guys, or lead the tribe. It's not fine when you're with Bella, your imprint, you're love."

"So what I am _supposed_ to do?" Calling me an idiot wasn't helping me get Bella back.

"Why do you love Bella?"

"She comp–" I stopped mid word after seeing Kim's death glare.

"Reasons, Sam, actually reasons."

"Like a list?"

"Yes, like a list."

"Um…she's sweet, undeniably caring, selfless beyond belief, lights up my world, and beautiful past any words imaginable. She's so smart. And every time I see her blush, I can't help but smile."

"Have you bothered to ever tell her any of this?"

I racked my brain, trying to think. I had to have told her at some point, right? After a minute I thought of it. "Well, yeah, once." I wasn't as bad as she made me seem. I wasn't such as screw up after all. I felt relieved. "See, I'm not an idiot after all. I'm a good boyfriend. I told her, I just had trouble remembering during the fight."

Kim didn't look impressed. "When did you do this miraculous deed?"

"At my mom's house, during the disaster dinner that Leah crashed."

"You told her under stress and line of fire from your mom and Leah. That doesn't count."

"How does that not count? I told her, it should count."

"In girl world, it doesn't. You would be wise to accept this and move on."

"I don't think I like girl world."

"Well, if you want to win Bella back, you have to play by girl world rules."

"That sucks."

"Get over it."

"Fine, what does girl world rules dictate that I do to win back my imprint when she won't even talk or acknowledge me?"

"You need to woo her."

"Woo?"

"Sweep her off her feet."

"You're using girl terms, I need guy terms."

"You need to get her attention and convince her to give your sorry ass another chance," Kim said, clearly annoyed. "And you can't just do it any way. You need to create some sort of plan that is made special for her. No generic tricks are going to work. If you love her, then you'll know the ends and outs of her that will win her over better than anyone else."

"Something special that pertains to only her."

"What does she love?"

"Literature and poetry," I answered dumbly.

"Okay, do you know any of her favorite authors?"

"The_ Pride and Proud_ one."

"You mean _Pride and Prejudice_?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Jane Austen. Okay, what about poetry?"

I tried to reach back in my brain. She was reading for her English class on day while we sat in the backyard. She was wearing a blue top that made my eyes linger on her chest. I could tell she was getting a bit aggravated with my stare, but I stood my ground that it was her fault for wearing the top. What was the name of the poet? She'd mention she was her favorite. Or was it a he? "Browning?"

"Elizabeth or Robert?"

"The girl, I think."

"Okay, this gives us a starting point. Here's what I think you should do…" And that was where my plan to win my imprint's heart back began.

* * *

**Author's Note:** What will Sam and Kim plan? Will Sam win Bella over?


	28. Chapter 28

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. The poems belong to that of the very talented Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And some words borrowed from the dashing Mr. Darcy belong to Jane Austen. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

* * *

When I got home from dropping Jake off, I made my way straight to bed to cry myself to sleep. As I hurried by Charlie, he asked if I was okay, but I only walked faster up the stairs. I didn't want to break down in front of him. I didn't want to worry my poor father. Jacob had helped me see some good points, but I still wasn't ready to just move past it all. Man or not, how could he not see his interactions with Leah were inappropriate? And while he may have trouble sharing his feelings, I point blank told him what I needed to hear. All he had to do was give me a few viable answers. But he couldn't even do that.

I woke in the having temporarily forgotten about the night before. I had dreamt of my future with Sam – or at least the future I had previously hoped for. It seemed like the cruel reality should have just been a nightmare that I could easily wake from. But instead, it was my life and my reality. I stood in the shower until the water ran cold. I had to do something to occupy my time. I couldn't sit around waiting for work to start, because I would only mope and most likely cry some more over Sam.

I decided on going to see Jacob. I knew he would welcome me with open arms. So, I went down stairs and started to fix a bowl of cereal. I then realized that we had no milk and my temper flared. I threw the box of Banana Nut Crunch on the counter and stomped out of the kitchen. As I passed Charlie at the table, he watched me pass with wide, concerned eyes.

"I'm going to Jake's. Then I have work this afternoon. I'll be back tonight."

"All right. Be safe," he said wearily.

Trying to block out the dream, I drove to La Push. It physically hurt to pass the road that led to Sam's. The pull felt so strong to go to him. I ignored it and continued on my way, arriving at the Black's home. I put the truck in park as Jacob opened my door.

"Bells! You couldn't get enough of me, huh?"

"Never, Jacob," I said, as he pulled me into a hug.

"Did you have something in mind for the day, or did you just want to be in my awesome presence?"

"I just needed my sun this morning. Can we just sort of do nothing? I'm not up for a lot."

"Sure, sure. Come on in. I was just about to attempt breakfast for me and the old man, but if you want to…" he trailed off, giving me a pleading look.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, I'll cook for the two cooking-impaired bachelors."

"Excellent," he said, pulling me toward the house. He opened the door and called out to Billy, "We get real food, Dad. Bella's going to cook for us."

Billy rolled out into the living room and gave me an appraising look. "What do we have to thank for this honor, Bella?"

"I just wanted to hang out with Jacob today."

"Well then, I guess I lucked out this morning," he said, after a moment.

I fixed breakfast for the three of us. Then Jacob and I stayed in the kitchen, washing the dishes together while Billy retired to the living room. Around nine-thirty we heard a vehicle pull up in the driveway.

"Who would that be?" Jacob asked himself, walking toward the front of the house.

"I don't know," I said following him into the living room. Jacob picked through the window, and let a huff out.

"Who is it, Jake?" Billy asked.

"Sam," he growled.

I took in a shaky breath. _Why is here there? How did he know I was here? That's a stupid question, Bella. He's a freaking werewolf; of course he'd be able to find you._

"Bells? What do you want me to do?" Jacob asked.

"I don't want to talk to him. Please, I just- I can't. Not yet at least. I need more time."

Jacob headed for the door, but Billy spoke.

"Jacob, why don't you take Bella into your room? I'll deal with Sam. Don't worry, Bella, you're a guest in this house. Your wishes will be heard."

"Thank you," I said softly as Jacob led me away.

I spent the rest of the morning with Jacob. We watched television, played cards, and anything else we could find to do at his house. I didn't want to risk running into Sam at the beach or anywhere else on the reservation.

Later, much to Jake's dismay, I left for work. The farther I left La Push, the worse I felt. I pretended it was only because the effects of Jacob's light were wearing off. But I knew it really had to do with the growing distance between Sam and me. I ignored the ache in my heart and trudged my way into Newton's.

I felt like a zombie. I did the work, but I did it subconsciously, only going with through the motions to get through the shift. Near the end of the shift, Mike approached me.

"Hey, Bella."

"Mike," I said blankly.

"I'm thinking of heading into Port Angeles next Friday to catch a movie. You in?"

"No thanks, Mike."

"Come on, now that you're single again, I think you should give me a shot. I could cheer you up." I turned to glare at him.

"Who said I was single?"

"Well, you've been a bit out of it today, moping and stuff. Plus, that steroid-using Indian dude you dated came in looking a bit rough asking about you this morning. It's obvious you two broke up."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing really. Just asked when you were coming in and when you'd get off work. So, about Friday?"

"No, Mike."

"Bella, I think it'd make you feel better if we –"

"N-O, Mike. I don't want to go out with you. I'm not broken up with Sam. We are going through a…disagreement right now, but things will work out." _They have to in the end. _"And even if we did break up, I wouldn't give you a shot. I don't like you like that, Mike. In fact, right now I don't really like you in any way. So just back off, would ya."

"Bella, I really think if you would just –"

"Mike, I swear if you suggest we go out one more time, you'll be sorry."

"Don't get over dramatic, Bells."

"One, don't ever call me that again. It's Bella to you. Two, I'm not being overdramatic; you're being a pain in the ass. And I'll kick you in the balls if you make one more unwanted suggestion. And a helpful hint, any suggestion you give me will be unwanted," I growled.

Mike's eyes widened and he took a step back. I narrowed my eyes at him and he yelped before quickly scurrying away. I smirked and got back to work. I only had a few more minutes before I could blow the joint.

I got home and fixed myself a bowl of cereal. I had stopped by the store and picked up a gallon of milk on the way home from Newton's. Just as I sat down to eat, the phone began to ring. I glanced at the clock on the stove. Based on the time would have put money on it being either someone from the station looking for Charlie, or Sam. I let it ring a second time and Charlie walked into the kitchen.

"You not getting that?"

"Nope," I said, scooping up another spoon full of cereal.

After the third ring, Charlie answered.

"Hello," he drew out. I heard the low muttering voice through the phone, it clearly belonged to a male.

"Um…" Charlie paused, looking over at me. _Sam it is then._ I still wasn't ready to talk to him. How did he not get that I needed my space.

I shook my while I whispered to Charlie, "Not here."

"She is not here yet, Sam." There was a long bit of muttering.

"I don't think that's a good idea tonight. Why don't you give her a few days? Then the two of you can talk about whatever it is that's bothering her."

"Dad," I moaned. I didn't need him getting in it. I just needed him to get rid of Sam for the night.

Charlie raised his eyebrows at me and I shook my head again. He took a deep breath. "Okay, or not. Bella, why don't you head up stairs? I'll take care of this." I grudgingly listened and headed up the stairs. I got ready for bed and went to sleep, half hoping to see Sam in my dreams to fill the void in my heart and the other half not wanting the few hours of hope to lead to more hours of being even more miserable after waking from the dreams.

* * *

Monday. I hated Mondays like everyone else, but that Monday seemed worse than any other Monday. It was another day of being upset, pissed, confused, sad, and any other horrible emotion. I wanted Sam. I needed him. But my pride was too big to just set all the crap aside and be with him. I planned to get through the week and then on the weekend, I could make my final decision on what would happen between us. Either I would forgive and forget, or we'd have to end things. The last option didn't sound appealing. In fact it sounded like a death sentence. I had only been with Sam for a short while, but already a life without him seemed impossible. So, that really left me with only the first option whether my stubborn self wanted to see it or not. Now it boiled down to when I would let myself cave.

I pulled into the parking lot, dreading the day. If Mike Newton dared to speak to me, I might just follow through with my threat. I didn't have the patience for him today, or anyone else. I wanted to go to classes, block the world out, go to work, drive home, and fall asleep to dream of Sam.

The first thing I needed to do was switch out some of my books in my locker. I spun the combination and opened the door. A piece of paper fluttered out. I reached down to pick it up. The crème-colored note had my name scribbled on it. Taking in the letters, my heart began to pound. I recognized the handwriting immediately. _Sam._ Part of me stood mad that he didn't give me the space I wanted, while the other jumped for joy that he hadn't given up on me. Taking a deep breath, I unfolded the paper. Inside read the following:

_Sonnet 43_

_by Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways._

_I love thee to the depth and breadth and height_

_My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight_

_For the ends of being and ideal grace._

_I love thee to the level of every day's_

_Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light._

_I love thee freely, as men strive for right._

_I love thee purely, as they turn from praise._

_I love thee with the passion put to use_

_In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith._

_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose_

_With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,_

_Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,_

_I shall but love thee better after death._

_I love you for so many reasons, Bella. And I know you might not think I do, but I do love you freely. There is no one else I would ever want. The imprint drew me to you, but you and you alone made me fall in love. I'm sorry that I ever made you doubt the purity of my love for you. I hope you give me the chance to tell you these things in person._

_I love you with everything I am,_

_Sam_

I wiped the tear away that had fallen on my cheek. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust him. The note was certainly a step in the right direction. The poem was one of my all time favorites. I knew that I had told him so that day in the backyard. This proved that he did care, and did listen to the things I told him. If he could go through the effort of reaching out in such a thoughtful, sweet way, I could certainly meet him half way. Though now I dreaded the long day even more. A full day of school and a shift at Newton's would keep me from going to him. I didn't work the following, so I planned to go to him after school on Tuesday. The conversation we needed could just not be made over the phone. I needed to see him.

The rest of the day went by painfully slow. I didn't hear a thing any of the teachers said. At lunch I found myself staring out the window, wishing I could just leave. I did notice thankfully that instead of choosing the seat next to me, Mike picked the only other seat available on the far side of the table. I guess he decided my threat was serious.

After lunch I sat through two more classes. I stuffed the not needed books into my locker and headed for the truck. I unlocked the door and opened it. As I got ready to climb into the seat, I noticed the note in the seat. I found myself smiling as I picked it up. I wasted no time in unfolding it to read the words he left for me.

_Sonnet 14_

_by Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

_If thou must love me, let it be for nought_

_Except for love's sake only. Do not say,_

"_I love her for her smile—her look—her way_

_Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought_

_That falls in well with mine, and certes brought_

_A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"—_

_For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may_

_Be changed, or change for thee—and love, so wrought,_

_May be unwrought so. Neither love me for_

_Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry:_

_A creature might forget to weep, who bore_

_Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!_

_But love me for love's sake, that evermore_

_Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity._

_My love for you is eternal, never ending. While I love your warm smile and your captivating eyes, they are not the reasons why I love you. Your beautiful blush gets my own blood running hot, but it's not why I love you. No there are far more deep reasons that I love you, __mé'oonna. If you give me the chance, I'll tell them all to you._

_I'll love you without end,_

_Sam_

If I wasn't anxious to see Sam on Tuesday before, after reading the second poem and note, I felt like I couldn't breathe knowing I wouldn't see him soon. I folded the note up carefully and slipped it in my bag next the first one.

I cranked up the truck and headed into work. Thankfully Mike didn't work and the shift went by uninterrupted. Not many people came in. Well, more like one out of towner came in for some last minute items he needed. I kept glancing between the clock and the back, hoping Mrs. Newton would come out to let me go. It wasn't like she needed me there. Why pay me fore just standing there?

She never did come out until the store closed at nine. I made my way to the truck, secretly wishing to find another note. With a silent pray, I opened the door and glanced at the empty seat. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I climbed in and slammed the door shut. Suddenly an envelope fell from above the visor. A smile grew on my face as I read the small note on the envelope's outside in his handwriting.

_Bella, I hope you keep an open mind with this letter. I tried, but I'm afraid I'm not a writer. And I'm sorry if it sucks._

_All my love,_

_Sam_

Quite curious, I opened the envelope, surprised by how long the letter appeared to be. I wasted no time in reading it. I found the first few sentences very familiar and I wondered where Sam was going with this letter.

_Be not alarmed, madam, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments or renewal of those offers which were last night so disgusting to you. I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes which, for the happiness of both, cannot be too soon forgotten: and the effort which the formation and the perusal of this letter must occasion, should have been spared had not my character required it to be written and read. You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice._

_Two offenses of a very different nature, and by no means of equal magnitude, you last night laid to my charge. The first-mentioned was, that, I improperly interacted with my former love, Leah. I can only say that I was a fool. I now understand that I cannot act in the same way with an ex as I did before entering a relationship with who I pray is my future bride. You have no reason to doubt my love and devotion for you, but I can see how my relationship with Leah could make you uncomfortable. I never denied you the chance to be friends with Edward or any of the Cullens. So I hope you wouldn't deny me the same chance with Leah if I promise that certain aspects our current friendship changes to be of more appropriateness. I can't write her out of my life completely as I do consider her one of my oldest friends before that of the role as my ex-girlfriend. However, I do promise to be more conscious of my actions around her. I plan to make my offer of only friendship clear to her along with that the two of us share no future as only you hold that spot now. If she continues to be a problem, then I will end the friendship if it seems necessary to keep her actions toward me only friendly. I hope you will be able to accept my reworked friendship with Leah. _

_My second offense, the worst in my opinion. I allowed you to believe that my love for you was not of my own. I apologize for my stupidity, my beautiful Bella. I love you more than I ever knew to be possible. The imprint did not make me love you, Bella. It only brought you to my foremost attention. It is like the sun's light that allows a garden to be seen. The sun does not make me love the flowers; it only allows me to see them in the proper light. Instead it is the flowers that capture me with their beauty. You, Isabella, capture me with you inner and outer beauty every second of every day. _

_I apologize for my idiotic ways. Kim says that it is the fact that I am a guy that roots my stupidity. I think I agree at this point. To give you a better idea of where I'm coming from, let me explain a few things. _

_My father left my mother and me at a young age. The abandonment hardened my mother's heart and to keep her head high, she turned to criticize others. While my grandfather tried to give me some positive influences, even he was and still is a stern man. I never experienced a warm, emotional upbringing. It was about making my mother, my grandfather and my tribe proud in despite of my father's irresponsible and dishonorable actions. 'I love you' wasn't said often, and emotions and feelings were almost taboo. So, you can see this need to express myself fully is something that I don't have a lot of experience in. Even with Leah, I never had to explain myself. And I'm not mentioning that to say one of you is better, I'm only saying to reestablish that I don't fully know what I'm doing here. I am willing and want to learn, baby. If you just please use every ounce of your patience with me, I'll get it all right eventually._

_I know that I still have not given you actual reasons as you had requested. And I have my reasoning for that. I want to tell why I love you so much myself, not through some written note. I do love you purely and freely and I will prove it to you as soon as you give me that opportunity. I only pray it will be soon as I miss being in your presence and looking into your beautiful brown eyes._

_You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you that night; but I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. I shall endeavor to find some opportunity of putting this letter in your hands in the course of the day. I will only add, I love and miss you._

_Only yours, Sam_

The tears rolled steadily down my face. Over the course of the day he had used my favorite poet to get through to me. And now using Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth as a template, Sam made himself vulnerable and had laid it all out for me. I never would have thought Sam would be capable of such a letter, of such a way of expressing himself. Sam had done more than his share to reach out to me. It was time for me to do my part.

I turned the key in the engine and yanked the truck into drive. I flew down the roads, trying to get to Sam as fast as I could. I'd been the idiot. Yes, he's interaction with Leah had, in my book, been inappropriate and his attitude toward it didn't help. And he royally screwed up with expressing why he loved me, but I gave up. I didn't stick it out and instead ran away. That's not how a successful relationship works. And if I had taken the time to look at things from Sam's point of view, maybe we would have settled things that night.

I arrived at his house to see it dark inside. I pounded on the door for fifteen minutes before giving up. _Maybe he's on patrol._ If that was the case, there was no telling when he get back.

Dejectedly I climbed back into the truck and headed back to Forks. I could only hope and pray I would get my chance to speak to Sam soon.


	29. Chapter 29

**DISCLAIMER:** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.

* * *

I trudged up the front stairs and walked through the door. From the door I could hear the television on in the living room, so I walked in there. Charlie sat snoring in the recliner.

"Charlie. Dad, wake up," I said, nudging his shoulder.

"Bella? What took you so long tonight? I was getting worried, kiddo."

"Sorry, I just needed to...do something before coming home."

"You all right, Bells?"

"No, but hopefully tomorrow I will be. Night, Dad."

"Good night."

I stopped in the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. The sooner I went to sleep, the sooner the morning would come. Looking in the mirror, the girl staring back looked lifeless. She needed Sam. I wondered where he was and if he was okay.

I slipped into my room, not bothering with the lights. Each step to the bed felt exhausting. I lay down and curled into a ball, letting the tears fall. There was no way I could survive another day without him, especially after the incredible things he did during the day. My body shook with sobs as I tried to find sleep. Suddenly I felt myself surrounded by heat. I gasped at the feeling, getting ready to scream.

"Bella baby, it's me. It's Sam."

"Sam?" I asked, hopeful. It seemed too good to be true for him to really be there.

"Yes, mé'oonna. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. I can leave if you want."

"No! Please stay. I went by your house, and you weren't there."

"I've been here waiting for you, hoping you would speak to me."

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have left like I did that night."

"No, baby. I'm the sorry one. I shouldn't have been so dense."

"No, Sam, I-"

"Maybe we should just skip the self blame game and move on to the make up portion of the fight. Because, baby, I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too, Sam – so, so much." I leaned in to kiss him.

After a few minutes, Sam pulled away. "I love you, Bella. I love you for so many reasons. And I'll give them all to you, but I think right now you should go to sleep. You look exhausted, my mé'oonna."

"You won't leave, right?" I was afraid if I closed my eyes he would disappear.

"I'll be right here the whole night. Unless Charlie comes in, then I'll be right outside the window until he leaves."

"I've felt cold without you," I murmured, burying myself into his warmth.

"I've felt dead without you, Bella. We're going to have a nice, long chat tomorrow. I think we need to be completely honest and work every issue out. Because, baby, I can't stand to have another fight like this one again. I need you too much."

"I need you too. Love you," I yawned.

"I love you more than anything, mé'oonna. I'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams."

Wrapped in his warmth, I let the darkness take over and pull me into sleep.

* * *

I woke up feeling warm and well rested. By far the best night's sleep I'd had in a couple of days – since the fight with Sam. I moved to stretch, but something kept me in place. In fact, the said something tightened its grip on me when I tried to move. I shifted my head back to see Sam's peaceful face. He looked fiver years younger while he slept. The stress of the pack and the tribe washed away from his beautiful face in his slumber.

"You gonna go back to sleep or keep staring?" he asked, and I jumped the most I could with his arms around me at the sound of his voice. He still looked asleep with his eyes closed and chest moving to his steady breathing.

"I missed seeing your face, so I'm making up for lost time."

"We have the rest of our lives, baby. I say we take a few more hours to sleep, because I haven't gotten more than a couple hours a night since…that night."

"I have to go to school," said, turning to look at the alarm clock. "Oh shit!" I tried to pull out of Sam's vice grip unsuccessfully. "Sam, let me go," I said, wiggling around.

"Nah-uh, I don't think so. I haven't had my fill of you yet. Plus, we still need to have our long talk."

"I have to go to school, Sam. And what happened to my stupid alarm clock? The crappy thing didn't go off."

"Yeah, it did," Sam answered simply.

"Excuse me?" I asked, with wide eyes focused on him.

"It went off, and I shut it off. You should look into getting a less annoying alarm. It was an awful sound to wake up to."

"Ugh, Sam! My alarm is fine as long as no one messes with it," I grumbled. "Damn it, I can't just skip school."

"Sure you can. Bella, you never miss a day. You're allowed a mental health day every once in awhile. I really don't think we should put this talk off."

"I really wish you would have asked before you just let me sleep. You may have a point, but it'd be nice if I could, you know, be involved in the decision."

"I'm sorry, I should have woken you. I just wasn't willing to lose you out of my arms yet, and I knew I'd probably have to fight you on this."

"Well, I might as well take the rest of the day off seeing as how I've already missed the first two periods."

"Sounds good," he said, closing his eyes again.

I was beyond the point of going back to sleep. I normally woke up well before then even on the weekends. My body wasn't used to sleeping in that late, and I ached to get up and stretch. I wiggled around a little more, huffing when I made no progress.

"Can I help you?" Sam asked, with one eye cracked open. "It's a bit hard to sleep with you moving all around."

"Yes, you can. I'd like to get up."

"Why," he whined.

"I don't want to sleep anymore, and my bladder is starting to fill a bit full."

Sam huffed loudly. "Fine, you take a shower and do whatever you need to do. I'll go downstairs and fix us some breakfast."

"Okay, I'll be quick," I promised, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"Take your time," he said, moving so that we kissed briefly before he let me go to get up.

I didn't really take my time as I felt anxious from being from Sam's side. Just one night was all it took for me to be addicted to him again. Well, I guess my need for him never left, I just suppressed it. But I didn't want to go back to that kind of life – it was miserable.

After throwing some clothes on, I headed down the stairs. Approaching the kitchen, I could smell the wonderful aroma of food. Sam stood at the stove finishing whatever he was working on.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Well, technically it's about lunch time, but I did cook breakfast food."

"And what does the menu consist of?" I asked, trying to peek around him.

"Chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon – the full extent of my breakfast cooking know-how."

"It sounds good, especially since I didn't have to make it."

"Sit down, I almost have it done."

I sat down at the kitchen table, and soon enough, Sam placed a few very full plates on the table. We both served ourselves and dug in.

"It tastes wonderful, Sam."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah, I might start making you cook more often."

"Bella baby, when I said this is all I knew how to cook of breakfast food, I meant it. Anything else I ruin."

"Young dogs can learn knew tricks, Sam," I smirked at him.

He snorted. "Yeah, I guess they can. If they have the right teacher, that is."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you do."

"That means you'll be around to teach me?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"Of course." I had thought my clinging to him for dear life last night would have clued him that I wouldn't be giving up on us so easily again.

"So you forgive? Because, baby, I am so sorry."

"I thought we already established that we should just skip over the apologies, Sam. We're both sorry, because we both acted stupid. Let's move on."

"Okay, then where do you want to go from here?"

"I think we need to go over the issues that caused the fight to begin with."

"I agree. What do you want to talk about first?"

"Leah."

Sam took a deep breath. "All right, what about her?"

"Did you mean what you wrote in the letter?"

"I meant every word, Bella. I promise to make it painstakingly clear to her that I do not and will not ever in the future want a romantic relationship with her. If Leah can't accept that and only want to be my friend, then I'll end the friendship with her. You are the most important thing to me. I should have sensed your unease about my relationship with her without jumping on your back when you made your concerns known."

"I don't– I mean, I know that she's one of your oldest friends. And I hate that you may lose that friendship because of me. I sorry–"

"No, Bella. I won't lose it because of you. I'll lose my friendship with her because of Leah. It's up to her how she wants things to go. Her actions decide whether or not our friendship continues. I plan on being with you for the rest of my life, and as my friend, she needs to recognize and respect that. If she can't, then she can't, and our friendship will be better off ending. It won't be your fault at all, so don't worry."

I sighed. It still felt like my fault. My whiny ass caused him to make this decision.

"Okay. So what next?"

"Are you still apprehensive because of the tribe?" he asked.

"Yeah, Sam," I said, annoyed. How could that not bother me? Most relationships have maybe one or two people against it, not a whole freaking tribe.

"You know what they think doesn't matter to me."

"Sam, what do we plan to do about the law? The law matters. It matters a lot. I would like to marry you in the future, and because of that stupid law, I can't."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes."

"And how do you propose we do that?" I needed to know that we would find a way to be together. If the tribe never liked or accepted me, that was fine. I'd get over it. But I needed to know that I could still be with the man I loved.

"Bella, we don't even know if I'll be Alpha when it comes to the time when we get married."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused. Who else would be Alpha?

He looked over at me sadly before answering. "Jacob."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I asked the Cullens to leave so he wouldn't have to go through that. You said that would work, that would keep him from phasing."

"I said it might work, Bella. His height increases more and more each month. Billy said his temperature has started to slightly rise as well. It seems that they may have left too late. I'm sorry."

"When do you foresee he'll phase?"

"He probably still has a few more months, unless something speeds the process up between now and then."

"Like what?"

"Like if new leeches come around, or if he becomes angrier more often."

None of this seemed fair. "So after he phases we won't have to worry about the law?"

"Not after he takes his position."

"And what if he doesn't?"

"Bella, I'm almost positive he'll phase."

"No. I mean if he doesn't want the Alpha job. You can't force him to take it, can you?"

"No I can't. But I would assume he would do his duty."

"Jacob is one of my best friends. I don't really see him wanting that kind of some of his chance to just be a kid, but laying Alpha on him, that would eliminate any chance he had at enjoying his last years as a teenager freely."

"What are you saying, Bella?"

"I think that you shouldn't pressure him into taking the job if he isn't ready for it just so we can get married. We can wait, or we can work around the law somehow."

"I could petition against the law, ask the tribe to recant it."

"Sam, no one approves of me; they'd never do that just so you can marry the outside they don't like."

"We can work on that. The people at the Center love you, as do the kids. I've even had a couple of parents speak to me about you, because their kids raved about you to them at home. We have a small number of people that would support us right now, and we can make that number larger. We just need a plan of action."

"You sound like you plan on us creating a political campaign for me to win election."

"In a way, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"I have to literally win their votes so that they'll retract the law?" I asked dumbly.

"I think this is our best line of offense."

"Well, I guess if we start now, then it won't look as obvious as to what we're doing as if we started after we got engaged or something."

"You're right. I think if we wait, they'll see through it." Thinking about it, it seemed ridiculous.

"Sam, I feel kind of wrong about this. I feel like I'm attempting to manipulate the tribe into liking me."

"Not at all, Bella. We simply put you out there a little more. You already do good things; we just need to make them better known. Like the Center, people just need to know about the good things you already do for the tribe and how you can help in the future."

"I suppose if that's what it'll take."

"I'll step down if I have to, Bella. If this doesn't work, and Jacob doesn't phase or refuses to ever take the position, then I'll walk away from the pack. Jared and Paul can rock-paper-scissors for Alpha for all I care. If the tribe won't let me marry you, then screw them. They don't know what they're missing out on. But I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you. You come first."

"You're giving up too much to be with me."

Sam stood up and moved over to me, picking me up and placing me in his lap. "No, Bella, don't even start with that crap. I want – no I need to be with you, for myself. You didn't ask me to do this, I decided for myself."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to any of that. God, I just wish people would get over their issues."

"I know, baby, me too. So is this a good lead in to me listing out all of the ways and reasons I love you?" I looked up at the man that so obviously loved me. I wasn't sure how I could have ever doubt his love.

I shook my head. "No. I don't want you to tell me. If you ever feel it's the right time, then you can share at that time. But I don't want you to tell me just because I'm being a big baby. I want to hear those things when you _want_ to tell them to me. I think it'll mean more then."

"If you're sure, Bella. I don't mind telling you now. I should have to begin with, but I just didn't look at things from your point of view. I'll work on that in the future. Just be patient with me."

"I'm sure."

"So now that we have the rest of the day, what do you want to do?"

"Movie marathon?" I suggested.

"Sounds good, here or my house?"

"Your house."

"All right. Then let's go."

It felt good to be at his side again, in his arms. I belonged there, and I wouldn't let anything else keep me from staying right there. And I refused to let myself be one of those things in the way. I would fight for Sam if I had to.

Still I felt a bit of heartbreak. It angered and saddened me that Jacob would be dragged into this life unwillingly. I wanted to protect my best friend. I truly didn't thing he would want any part of this life. Jacob was a gentle, kind soul, not a killer. I didn't think of Sam, Jared or Paul as monsters by any means, but they had dissimilar personalities from Jacob. This type of life would wear on him differently. Sam said he had a few more months, and I hoped that that to be true. No matter when it happened, I would be there for my sun.

In the mean time, I had other work to do. In the long-term, I had to win over the tribe. But what I considered my harder and more present challenge, I had to win over Paul still.


	30. Chapter 30

DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.

* * *

A couple of weeks passed, and Sam and I returned to our normal routine. It felt so much better to not be avoiding him. Things had seemingly settled down.

I tried to do my share on the reservation. I continued hanging out with the Community Center kids. And last week after I haggled days off with Mrs. Newton, I started after-school tutoring sessions on Wednesdays. The first Wednesday, only a couple of the children from the Community Center came, but this past week, seven showed up, ranging from eight to fifteen years old. That was more than a little challenging, helping seven different students in seven different subjects and grade levels.

I loved the tutoring even after only two sessions. It showed me that a teaching career seemed like something I really would enjoy. I had previously thought I would have to go into teaching because of the lack of choices in the area. But I then knew I wanted to teach because I had a growing passion for it. Sam too loved my idea of tutoring. Firstly, he loved that I truly enjoyed it. More so, he thought it not only showed I cared about the community, but it would open the tribe's opinions for when I want to return and teach on the reservation. Perhaps I won't have to jump through as many hoops when that time comes.

So all in all, things in life were going good, which only meant something hid around the corner.

I arrived at Sam's around four in the afternoon Friday. I found the door locked, so I pulled out the key Sam had given me a few weeks earlier. Walking in, I noticed that it looked as if he hadn't been home since the morning.

I went straight to the kitchen and began to clean the dishes left in the sink. After that, I began to do some other cleaning – mopping, vacuuming, dusting and waxing. Almost two hours later and Sam still hadn't showed up. I began to get worried. He knew I planned to get there around four o'clock, so where could he have been?

After flipping through the television channels for a little while, I decided to just start on dinner. I got up and went to the kitchen. Going through the refrigerator, I found my options small. I found a few pounds of ground beef in the freezer and a few things in the pantry. I decided that meatloaf was my best option.

I had just put the pans in the oven when the back door slammed open.

"Bella!" Sam yelled.

"Sam?" I called as I ran toward the door. I stopped short when I reached him. "Oh my God," I breathed.

"Bella, I need you go the bathroom and get all the bandages and antiseptics and whatever other medical crap I have in there." I heard him speaking, but I couldn't take my eyes off of all the blood. "Bella, go, now!"

I nodded and ran to the bathroom. There I grabbed everything I could out of the bathroom closet.

I walked out, joggling the supplies, wondering where I was supposed to go.

"Guest room," Sam yelled out.

"Here," I said, dumping the things on the dresser.

"Now I need hot water and rags."

I numbly did as he said to do. I came back in the guest room to see Jared and Sam working on Paul.

"What happened?"

"Leech," Jared growled out.

"What can I do?" I asked weakly.

"Grab a rag and wipe him down. We need to see where the worst injuries are. I don't think there's anything too bad. I think the worst is his right leg and arm – they're broken. I reset the bones in the woods, so check out the rest of him."

"Okay," I said, holding my breath, I grabbed a wet, hot rag and ran it over Paul's chest, wiping away the dirt and blood.

"Bella, I need you keep doing that and apply pressure to the point that are still bleeding. If it's a bad spot, sew it up."

"Wait, what?"

"I need you take care of Paul."

"What– where you going?"

"Jared and I need to get back out there."

"No!" He couldn't leave me there with Paul – alone.

"We only came back to bring him. He'd be killed if we left him out there unconscious and unprotected. The leeches are still in the area. We need to either kill them or run them out. I need you, Bella. I need you to do this."

"But…"

"No, Bella, do this. I love you. I trust you. Take care of our brother and we'll be back soon."

"I don't…" I started, but Jared and Sam were already gone.

I looked back over at the unconscious Paul lying on the bed. I'm not sure how long I stood there in shock before I shook my head, focusing on the situation. I ran the rag over his body; thankful Sam or Jared had put his shorts back on him already. Wiping away the dirt and blood, it seemed that most of the wounds were superficial and already healing.

Once I had him pretty well cleaned up, I could see a spot on his arm that continued to bleed a good amount. On further inspection, I could see the cut went pretty deep. I took some rubbing alcohol and drenched the wound. Then I prepared the needle in the first aid kit. Luckily, I'd watched enough doctors suture my own wounds to know how to do the process adequately myself.

After taking a deep breath, I pulled the needle through his skin. I felt my head getting cloudy. I plugged my nose and took a few more deep breathes through my mouth, trying to avoid the iron smell. I finished up as quickly as I could. It wasn't the prettiest suture, but it did its job.

I pulled a chair in from the kitchen and sat to wait. Waiting for what, I wasn't exactly sure. I hoped Sam and Jared would return safely before Paul woke up. A half hour passed, when I remembered my meatloaf in the oven. I ran into the kitchen and pulled the hot pans out of the oven. They were well done, but not quite burnt. The boys would find them still edible I was sure. I set them aside, not sure when I'd be serving them.

I took a look around, wondering what to do next. I felt lost without Sam there. Suddenly, a half scream, half moan filled the small house. I walked quickly, but cautiously toward the guest bedroom. I peeked around the corner to see a writhing Paul.

"Paul," I said softly.

"Fuck!"

"Paul, are you okay?"

"Fuck no."

"I don't know what to do," I said in a small voice. "And it's just me here."

"Damn it," he said threw clenched teeth.

I ran into the bathroom and pulled opened the medicine cabinet. Nothing low dosage really did anything for the boys, but Sam kept some stuff for me around. I found the bottle I was looking for and returned to Paul.

"I don't know if this will do anything," I said, opening the bottle.

"What is it?"

"Tylenol. It's only thing we've got."

"Fuck!"

"Maybe if you take more than the prescribed amount," I thought aloud.

"The whole bottle," he grounded out.

"Um…I don't know if that's smart. We don't want you to overdose."

"Give me the fucking bottle."

"Okay, here," I said, handing him the pill bottle. "Let me get you a glass of water to…" I started, but he just poured the bottle's contents straight into his mouth, taking one huge gulp to swallow them all. "Or you could do that too."

Paul's eyes were clenched shut and he grinded his teeth.

"Can I do anything else?"

"I'm hot," he sort of whimpered out. Though, I didn't think it was possible for Paul to whimper.

"Uh, you run a temperature of 108. You're always hot, Paul."

"No, I feel unusually hot, like a fever."

"Okay, let me get the thermometer." I went back into the bathroom and hunted through the drawers until I found a thermometer still in its original wrapping. I think Sam had prepared for anything that could go wrong with me. I found that both sweet and a bit belittling.

I returned, tearing it out of the wrapper. I put it in his mouth and waited for the small beep. Taking it out, I read the little screen. My eyes widened.

"Paul, I think you should be dead."

"What?" he croaked.

"I didn't it was possible to be alive with a temp of 117."

"Fuck," he breathed out.

"Okay, okay. We can work with this. We need to cool you down. Think, think, think."

"Burning here, think a little faster."

"I trying! Just– I think the bath tub would be best, because it could easily hold a lot of ice."

"I'm pretty fucking sure you can't move me. And I don't think my leg will let me move."

"Fuck, I forgot about that."

"You just said 'fuck'," he chuckled before wincing.

"You must be rubbing off on me. I'll just put the ice in bags and lay them all over you. Be right back."

I ran back to the kitchen –again– to find that there wasn't all that much ice sitting in the freezer. Sam didn't have an ice maker, only the little dishes – which three of the four sat empty. _How freaking hard is it to refill them?_

I had to reassess the situation. Paul had to be cooled down and quick. I didn't really want to leave him alone. But what other choice did I have? I couldn't call anyone, could I? _Kim, I can call Kim._

Grabbing the phone, I looked at the list of numbers on the fridge, finding hers. I dialed the numbers, letting it ring. On the third one, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Kim, thank God."

"Bella? Is something wrong? Why is Jared twenty minutes late?" she spit out fast.

"Yes, Paul's hurt and Jared is with Sam still out in the woods. I need ice, a lot of it. Paul's burning up with what I'm pretty sure is the highest recorded temperature ever, and Sam has no freaking ice in this house. I need you to bring as much as you can get as soon as you can."

"Oh, okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks, the door's open, just come in," I said, slamming the phone back on its holder.

I grabbed the twelve measly pieces of ice the freezer housed and wrapped them up. I went back to Paul. I put the ice on his forehead, trying to at least cool it off.

"Kim's on her way with more," I said softly.

"Mmph," he moaned out. It took less than a minute for the ice to completely melt. I hoped like hell Kim bought all the ice she could get her hands on. I took the rag into the bathroom and drenched in the coldest water that would come out of the faucet. I then rubbed it over his forehead and down his neck.

I heard the front door open and slam. "Bella?"

"Guest room on the right," I called back at Kim.

She came in, dragging two large bags of ice behind her.

"Please tell me you have more," I said, lifting one on top of Paul's chest.

"Yeah, in the car. You know, he doesn't look too bad," she commented.

"Fuck you," Paul groaned.

"I've cleaned him up already. He looked a lot worse."

"Fuck both of you."

"I'm helping, so you zip it, mister." I lifted the second bag, draping it over his abdomen. "Let's get the other bags, Kim."

I followed her out to the car. She only had another four bags. I grabbed two of them.

"Did they have any more?"

"Yeah, but this is all I could get with the cash I had."

"We'll need more. I give you my debit card."

"Won't this cover him?"

"Yeah, but his body temp melts the ice fast. We'll have to keep applying new bags until he cools down."

"All right," she said as we entered the house. I laid the two other bags on his legs. Then I went to find my purse in the living room. I rummaged through it until I found the card.

"Here. The pin is 8588," I said, handing her the card. "Get at least twenty bags."

"That'll cost quite a bit, Bella."

"It's fine. We need it."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

I started loading the bags on the rest of Paul's body. I replaced the original two.

"Bella," he said quietly.

"Yeah, Paul?"

"I'm tired."

"No, Paul, don't go to sleep. I don't know if you have a concussion or not. I need you stay awake."

"Too tired."

"Stay awake, Paul."

"Mm." He clearly wasn't listening. But I had to keep him awake somehow.

I leaned down to his hear and yelled, "Paul, wake the fuck up."

His whole body jerked. "God, Bella. Don't yell."

"Then stay awake, you asshole."

"So mean," he grumbled.

"Open your eyes."

"No."

"I'm going to hit that leg with a bat if you don't open your freaking eyes right now, Paul."

"Fuck, leave me alone, bitch."

"This bitch is trying to keep you alive, so you could be of some help and corporate a little."

"Shut up," he said, opening his eyes.

"That's better. Now just keep them open."

"Still hot."

"I'm back!" She must have sped the whole way, but I didn't care if she broke the sound barrier as long as we got Paul cooled down.

"Kim's here. Let me go help her bring in more ice for you. And your eyes better be open when I get back."

"Shove off."

Kim and I pulled in another four bags. I lift them up on Paul, while Kim brought in another pair.

"What do we do with the extras?"

"Put them in the bathtub. The freezer would be lucky to hold one, so that's our best bet."

I went outside and helped bring in the rest of the bags. After four trips, we had them all piled in the tub. I went back into the room with Paul.

"Paul, are you feeling any cooler."

"No."

"Well, they say feed a fever. I'm not sure if that actually works, but I think we should try anything we can. So do you feel up to eating?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

"You don't have to get smart."

"Food, woman."

"I feel severely sorry for the woman deemed your imprint."

"Fuck imprinting."

"Whatever, I'll be back."

I went to kitchen and found Kim sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the back glass door. I ignored her for the moment and fixed Paul a heaping plate of meatloaf. I hadn't fixed any of the sides yet, so hopefully that would be enough. After setting it in the microwave, I set the time.

"Kim, you all right?"

"Just worried. If Paul got hurt with the three of them, how are Jared and Sam doing with just the two of them?"

"They're fine, Kim."

"I know it's not right, but sometimes I wish more boys would phase."

"Why?"

"That way there would be more of them to help each other. The more fighters, the less chance they get hurt, right?"

"I guess I can understand that reasoning. We just have to hope that we never have so many vamps that the three of them can't handle it."

"How long ago did they leave?"

"Um…" I looked at the clock on the stove. "Maybe two hours at the most. I'm not completely sure."

The microwave beeped. I grabbed the hot plate and left Kim to her thinking. Walking into the bedroom, I saw Paul's eyes closed.

"Wake the fuck up!"

"Ugh. Don't you ever leave?"

"You want your food or not?"

"Yeah."

"Then loose the lip." I set the plate on his chest and watched as he tried to feed himself with his left hand. Paul was clearly a righty.

"Need help?"

"Not yours."

"Fine, but the object of eating is to get the food in your mouth, not all over yourself and the bed."

"You are so God damn annoying."

"I don't feel the love, Paul."

"Go fuck yourself if you want to feel the love."

"I think you have a lot of anger in your heart."

"Where'd you get that idea?" he asked, lifting a large pile of meatloaf on his fork. An inch away from his face, it rolled off the fork. "Fuck."

"You sure you don't want help?"

"Fuck no."

"All right, fine. I'm going to bring in some new ice." I went to the bathroom and dragged two bags behind me. I switched out the two on his upper body, moving the plate on top of the one on his chest. Then I walked back and brought two more for his legs.

As I got ready to leave the room, I heard Paul speak in a small voice.

"I need help." I turned back to look at him.

"What was that?" I asked, though I heard him perfectly fine the first time.

"Feed me," he demanded, not looking at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Can you say 'please'?"

"Please, damn it."

"I guess that's the best I'm getting." I sat down next to him and picked up the plate. The ice had cooled it down some, but at that point, I didn't think Paul really cared.

"Open up for the plane," I said, lifting up a fork full. "Zoom, zoom."

"I really fucking hate you," he said, opening his mouth.

I dropped the bite in his mouth. "Aw, I love you too, Paul."

Eventually, I helped Paul finish the plate. I continued to annoy him in efforts to keep him awake. A little while later, Paul closed his eyes and let out what sounded to be a sigh of relief.

"Thank fucking God," he muttered.

"What are you going on ab– "

I was cut off by Kim squealing in delight, "Jared!"

"Kim, what you doing here?"

I didn't hear her response because Sam called out, "Bella?"

"Guest room."

"Paul, you're awake," Sam said, sounding surprised.

"Lucky me," he grumbled.

"I thought you'd be resting."

"Your girl won't let me fucking sleep. She's been yapping at me the whole damn time."

Sam looked at me with his eyebrows pulled together. "Bella?"

"If he had a concussion, I couldn't let him go to sleep."

"Why would he have a concussion?"

"He got knocked out," I said like it was obvious.

"No, he passed out from the pain when I reset his bones."

"Oh."

"You mean, she annoyed the hell out of me for hours for nothing?" I had to agree with Paul. I would have much rather had a sleeping, silent Paul if given the option.

"Bella was clearly doing what she thought was best for you. You should be thanking her for taking care of you."

"Whatever."

"Now, what's up with the ice?"

"His temp spiked to 117 Fahrenheit. I did it to cool him down," I said, really hoping that action wasn't for nothing as well.

"117, really?" I nodded. "Damn, must be an infection or something. How you feel now, Paul?"

"Better. I don't feel like I'm in an oven anymore."

"Good. Bella, let's check his fever now."

"Okay." I put the thermometer in his mouth. After the minute, I pulled it out. "109.3 Fahrenheit."

"Much better. I'm sure you'll survive just fine."

"Gee thanks. Did you get the fuckers?"

"We got two, the third got away. We ran all the way Canada chasing the thing."

"Which one got away?" Paul asked.

"The redhead." My head snapped up.

"What?" I breathed out.


	31. Chapter 31

DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.

* * *

"A redheaded leech got away," Sam said.

"A woman?" I asked, staring out the window.

"Yeah, how did ya know?"

"I know her."

"I know she's not a Cullen, Bella."

"Not a Cullen," I said, shaking my head. "Her name is Victoria."

"I've heard you say that name before." I nodded absentmindedly. My mind was too busy coming up with why she would be in Forks to really listen to Sam. Of course, I knew why, but I didn't want to accept that fact just yet.

"Well, who the fuck is she?" Paul yelled from the bed. I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. I had forgotten he was in the room.

"Paul, can it," Sam said curtly. In a softer tone he asked, "Bella, I need to know who she is?"

"James' mate," I answered, subconsciously running a hand over the scar on my arm.

I felt Sam move closer to me. He wrapped me in his arms, one hand resting of my own. "The rogues that hunted you to Phoenix."

"Yes," I breathed.

"Jared, get in here," Sam called.

"Why come back after all this time?" Paul asked. I didn't even catch that he apparently already knew the story behind my scar, even if the name didn't ring any bells. No secrets in the pack and all that good stuff.

"Who came back?" Jared asked, Kim at his side.

"Good question, Paul, and I don't think I like the answer. Jared, the redhead that got away was the mate of the leech the Cullens killed in Phoenix."

"Shit," Jared muttered.

Paul huffed. "Well, what's the answer?" he asked impatiently.

"Me," I said, turning in Sam's arms. I looked up at him to see him with a set jaw and focused eyes.

"I thought the male was the tracker, the one with the hunt obsession. Why would the female come back for you?" Jared asked.

"We know vamps almost always seek revenge after a mate's death. Cullen killed her mate, so it would seem that the redhead intends to seek her revenge by going after Bella. An eye for an eye," Sam answered.

"But Bella's no longer Cullen's mate. She's yours," Paul said, his face contorted in confusion.

"Won't matter to the leech. The split was Bella's decision. Bella's death would cause Edward to feel just as much pain being separated from as it would them being together. A vampire doesn't love easily, but when they do, it's forever. It's like imprinting, there's no breaking it. The redhead would still have her revenge," Sam explained.

"Then what's the plan?" Paul asked.

"What plan?" Sam asked, distracted.

Paul rolled his eyes. "What plan? The plan that keeps your girl alive, you idiot. That's unless you plan on handing her over to the leech."

"I'd die before that happened and you fucking know it."

"Well, then I would think you'd have a plan forming in that Alpha head of yours. If she wants Bella, we need to reexamine our current approach to patrolling."

"Since when did you start thinking level-headed?" Jared asked, looking at Paul with a raised eyebrow.

"I am the beta, you know. It's my job to do the thinking every once in a while."

"Right, well, you won't walk correctly for at least another forty-eight hours. That leg's shattered petty bad. And it'll take three or four days for you to get back to top performance. So, Jared and I will make sure to patrol at all times," Sam said.

"Sam, that's not possible," I said, speaking up for the first time in a while. I had started to get over my shock.

"Bella, we can't leave the border open."

"What would that matter anyways? I'll be in Forks; your border doesn't cover that."

"We'll extend the border then."

"Sam, there's two of you until Paul can patrol. You can't run twelve hours a day for four days. Jared has school. And besides that, you'll run yourselves ragged. There's no use in you patrolling if you're so tired that you can't fight. You'll get hurt or worse."

"What would you have us do then, Bella? Leave you unprotected?"

"I don't know what to do. But I know what not to do. You can't leave the tribe unprotected while you follow me around like my shadow. Your job is to protect them. Even if Victoria is focused on me, she still needs to feed."

"You're my priority," Sam said fiercely.

"No, I'm not. The tribe is."

"Well, then lucky for you both, Bella's a part of the tribe," Paul said, rolling his eyes.

Sam and both stopped our bickering to look shell-shocked at Paul. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jared and Kim had similar expressions.

"Why are y'all looking at me like that? I didn't say anything offensive or mean. At least I didn't mean to. What did I say?" I couldn't think of any words and it seemed the others were having the same problem. "What the hell's your problem? Stop looking at me like that. You four are freaking me out."

"Did you mean I'm separate from the tribe or with the tribe?" I asked in a small voice.

"What?"

"Well, there's 'apart' as in one word. That means that you consider me distant from the tribe. And there's 'a part' with two words. This would mean you think I belong with the tribe."

"What's with the grammar lesson? I don't see your point."

"Which one did you mean? Apart or a part?"

"What difference does it make?" he asked, crossing his arms, and then wincing at the pain.

"Just curious."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he huffed. "I think you belong with the tribe, at least partly. You're with my Alpha. Whether or not I think you _should_ belong is different than thinking you do belong. So don't get your panties all twisted, I'm still not convinced that the imprint is right."

"Oh, all right," I said dejectedly. I thought maybe our day together could have changed things. I should have known Paul was more stubborn than that. Yelling at him and throwing some ice on him wouldn't be enough to win him over.

"Anyway, back to the plan, then?" Paul questioned.

"Yeah, the plan," I said softly.

"I say Bella here just moves to the rez," Jared said.

"I may legally be an adult, but the chief of police would never allow for that to happen."

"Plus, Bella has to attend school in Forks and go to her job at Newton's," Kim pointed out.

"Quit the stupid job and commute. Sounds pretty simple," Paul answered.

"Paul, move on from that idea. As much as I would feel better about having Bella with me each night, it's not going to happen. But maybe on the weekends you could say you're staying with Kim."

"Yeah, I could do that."

"Well, shouldn't she be safe during school? I doubt the bloodsucker will try anything with that many witnesses. Though, the job doesn't provide the same cover. There's what, only one or two other people each shift working with you on the premise?" Jared asked.

"Typically two. Saturdays are busier, so usually at least three people work," I answered Paul.

"So I still vote she quit. We'd have to patrol the store at all times. We don't have the manpower to do that. But we can escort her to and from school, and then we go about our days while she's in class. After school, she comes to reservation and her bedtime," Paul responded.

"I have to spend _some_ time at home. Charlie would freak if I only made appearances before bed and at breakfast."

"Well, how about we follow Paul's suggestion to a point. You come down here as much as possible and the nights you need to stay in Forks, someone will patrol around your house."

"Or I could call Alice. Maybe they would hel–"

"No."

"Sam, they could take a load off your back."

"You're my mate, I'll protect you."

"Calling for help would be protecting me. They don't need sleep; they could patrol when none of you can."

"Bella, please drop it. I'm Alpha and I say no. And please don't go behind my back and call. If I think we absolutely can't handle the situation, then I'll call. But it's my decision."

"So I'm quitting my job? How do I explain that to Charlie?"

"Tell him you got a job here," Jared suggested.

"And when I have to ask for money because this made-up job pays in invisible money?"

"I can give you money, whatever you need," Sam said.

"I'm not taking your money, Sam."

"It's fine, Bella. I want to take care of you."

"You could tell Charlie you're volunteering and that's why you no longer have an income," Kim suggested.

"That could work. If you don't mind, you could spend more time at the Center," Sam agreed.

"Of course I don't mind. And it would be nice to tutor more than just Wednesdays."

"Wonderful, so problem solved," Paul said sardonically. "Now, could someone get me something to eat? I'm starved."

"You ate not that long ago," I said.

"And now I'm hungry again. So bring me some food, woman."

"Paul," Sam said evenly.

"Yeah, boss?"

"You talk to my imprint that way again and you'll be losing the parts of your anatomy that deem you a man," Sam warned in an unnaturally calm voice. I saw Paul gulp hard. "Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Now sit here like a good, little pup while the rest of us enjoy our meal."

"What about me?" Paul whined.

"You can have the leftovers," Sam answered.

"But there are never any leftovers."

"Oh well, sorry about that. Maybe if you're actually nice, then Bella will bring you something." Paul's bottom lip puckered out and his eyes dropped like a sad puppy.

"May I please have some food, Bella?"

"I'll see what I can manage," I said coolly.

"Thanks," he muttered.

The other four of us sat down to enjoy the rest of the meal I cooked earlier. I had to reheat everything up, though. Dinner was quiet, all of us lost in our own thoughts.

I wasn't pleased about quitting Newton's, but I understood the need. If the boys put their lives on the line for mine, the least I could do was give them less area and time to have to patrol.

Kim and Jared left soon after the dishes were done. I heated up the few scraps left and also prepared a couple of sandwiches. I took the extra-large plate and a glass of tea into the spare room. Paul lay sleeping in the bed. I gave him a little shore on the shoulder. He simply grunted in response.

"Paul, wake up."

"Fuck off," he groaned.

"Fine, I'll take this food with me then," I said, turning away.

"Oh shit," he said, his eyes popping open. "No, please leave the food."

"Here, yell if you need something else. And you might want to do that soon. I don't see Sam waiting on you like I will, and I'm leaving in the next hour or so." I laid the plate in his lap and the glass on the bedside table.

"All right, thanks."

"Okay, we'll be in the living room."

I started to walk away when we he called my name. "Bella, could you get Sam to call my mom? I usually try and check in at one point or another each day and I haven't so far today. So could he let her know I'll be staying here at least for tonight, if not tomorrow too."

"Yeah, I'll let me know to call."

"Thanks."

I went back into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. There I saw Sam on the phone.

"I'll let Paul know….Yes, ma'am….Talk to you later. Good night."

"Paul's mom?" I guessed.

"Yeah. I went a head and told her he'd be here three days. I'd rather not have to explain why he can't walk one day and can run a freaking marathon the next. It's better for no one to see him injured at all. Less questions that way."

"Makes sense."

"So I hear I only get you for an hour."

"Well, yeah. I don't want to get home too late – especially since I'll be quitting after my shift tomorrow. I can't be late for my last day."

"Bella, can't you just call in?"

"It's too late to call tonight. And, Sam, I can't call out and quit with a phone call a mere hour before my shift. I already feel shitty quitting with no two week notice or really notice of any kind."

"Fine, when do I need to be at your house?"

"You don't."

"Bella, we just discussed the plan not that long ago."

"You just killed her two partners in crime, Sam. I doubt she'll make any movement tomorrow or any time soon."

"A smart enemy hits you when and where they don't expect it."

"She needs at least a day to regroup. I'll be fine."

"I'll make a few swing bys. When does your shift start and end?"

"I start nine and get off at three."

"All right. Someone will follow you to work and complete a perimeter check around the store and then Forks as a whole. I'm not positive who, but I will check in on you from time to time when I get a chance."

"That sounds fine."

"So can I sit with my girlfriend and just relax for the hour she allows me?"

I smiled. "I think I can handle that."

"Good, now come here," he growled lightly, pulling me onto his lap. I rested my head on his shoulder as he flipped through the television stations. "What'cha feel like tonight?"

"I vote for something that doesn't require brainpower."

"Hmm, I agree. How about," he paused changing the station again before continuing, "Minute to Win It?"

"Yes, please. Every time I watch this, I wonder whose job it is to make these games up."

"I don't know, but it sounds like a job I wouldn't mind having. I'm sure their hours are much better than werewolf protector." I snickered and felt his chest vibrate with his own laughter.

"I'm sure you're right."

We watched the people attempt the silliest games using office items to win a million dollars. The show ended when they lost trying to blow all but the last card of a deck off a glass bottle. The news came on and I knew I needed to get up, but it felt so good to just sit in Sam's embrace.

I felt a few light kisses on the side of my head. The kisses lowered to my neck, lasting a little longer each time. I moaned as Sam nipped at my neck. Turning my head, my lips found his. Sam quickly deepened the kiss.

He turned me in his lap so my legs straddled his lap. I ran my hands down his chest, wanting to feel him completely. Soon his own hands found themselves at the hem of my shirt, moving it up so that his hands ran across my stomach.

"God, I love the way you feel in my arms."

"Mm, I love you."

"Love you too, baby," he murmured against my skin.

Sam left a kiss on my lips before pulling my shirt above my head.

"You are so beautiful."

"Sam," I panted.

"What do you want, mé'oonna?"

"You," I said, capturing his lips. Without my permission, my hips started to grind against his. Sam groaned loudly at the sensation and trailed his way down to my bra. I moaned his name, my head rolling back. Just as his hands went to unsnap the hook, a voice boomed through the house.

"Hey! Hey, stop that out there, you fuckers. I can hear you, ya know." I felt my face heat up as I took in Paul's yelling. I had completely forgotten he was still there. "I may be a little broken, but I ain't deaf! And I don't want to hear any of that shit."

"Go away, Paul," Sam groaned.

"I can't really do that, what with broken bones and all." I could just see Paul's eyes rolling with the statement.

Sam took a deep breath and pulled away, his head falling on the back of the couch. "Should have left him in the woods," he grumbled.

"That's not nice, Sam. Besides, I should get going anyway." I left a small kiss on the side of his mouth before getting up. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on. I walked to the kitchen more than slightly shocked and embarrassed that the farthest Sam and I had now gone had been overheard by Paul.

I grabbed my purse and headed back into the living room. Sam met me at the door.

"Paul, I'll be back in an hour or so. After I follow Bella, I'm going to do a quick border patrol."

"Wait, Bella. I need something before you go," Paul called from the bedroom.

"Sam, can you go see what he wants?" I whispered.

"He asked for you, though," he murmured back.

"Just go see real quick, okay," I said, avoiding eye contact.

"Bella, are you not going because of what just happened?"

"He heard us, Sam. I don't want to face him."

"I'm waiting patiently!"

"Saying you're waiting patiently isn't being patient, dimwit," Sam yelled.

"Bella, please!"

"Sam," I pleaded.

"Fine," he huffed. Sam walked back to the guest bedroom. After a minute he came back with an annoyed face.

"He won't tell me what he wants, so I say we just leave."

"Bella!"

I huffed before stomping toward the room. "What?" I yelled as soon as I crossed the threshold of the room.

"Can you bring one of your desserts tomorrow? I'd prefer the peach cobbler or the brownies without nuts ruining them."

"You called me in here for food requests?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah, you said to let you know what I needed. I need good food tomorrow. It will help boost my healing."

"Whatever, Paul. I have to go."

"By the way, you moan a lot more than I would have ever guessed."

"I really hate you sometimes," I grumbled, walking out of the room.

"The feeling's mutual, paleface," he called, laughing loudly.


	32. Chapter 32

**DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.**

* * *

Mrs. Newton didn't appear too happy with my news of quitting. She walked off mumbling about the pain of having to train someone else. Though, Mike took the news hard.

"Why are you quitting?" He asked.

"I just have other things I want to do with my time."

"Like what? Spending time with your too old of boyfriend?"

"No, like helping the kids on the reservation."

"Helping how?" He questioned, suspicious.

"With the afternoon programs. And I also started a tutoring program."

"I know you're a good person, Bella, but why on the rez? You could do that stuff here in Forks."

"Because Forks has programs already established and plenty of volunteers to help. La Push doesn't have any outside of school help for kids. Plus, after I marry Sam that will be my home too."

"You mean_ if_ you marry Sam."

"No, _when_ I marry Sam." His constant questioning of every decision I made was really starting the grate on my nerves.

"You're eighteen, Bella. You can't possibly know who you're going to marry. Plus, you haven't even been with the guy that long."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Mike. But when you meet your soul mate, your age or the amount of time you've been dating hold no value."

"Whatever. I still don't understand why you're quitting."

I rolled my eyes and left the front to work on inventory for the last time.

* * *

At three on the dot, I walked out to the parking lot to find Sam leaning up against my truck.

"Hello, mé'oonna," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned up to give him a kiss. I felt his tongue trace along my bottom lip. I open my mouth and he quickly made his way into it, caressing my tongue with his. As his hands ran up and down my sides, I moan into his mouth. Too soon he pulled away.

"Well, hello to you too, stranger," I said, smiling up at him.

"Do you need to go home before heading to the rez?"

"No," I said, shaking my head.

Sam opened the passenger door. "Your chariot awaits, my lady," he joked, sweeping his arm out.

"Well, many thanks, kind sir."

I hopped into the truck, Sam did a minute later. He cranked up the truck and started for La Push.

"Did you eat lunch?"

"No, I skipped it try to avoid down time with Mike."

"How about we stop at the diner then?" I quietly turned and looked at him. "What? The diner has good food."

"Will Leah be working?"

"I don't know. But are we really going to let her dictate where we go or where we eat for the rest of our lives?"

"No, I suppose not. I just like to avoid confrontation if possible."

"Well, the dining options in La Push are limited."

"I know. Do you think we could just get it to-go?"

"We could."

"Then we can take some back to Paul too."

"I don't why you continue to treat him as nicely as you do."

"I bitch at him on occasion," I said defensively

"Not nearly as much as you should."

"Well, it's not in me to be a bitch all the time."

Sam turned and smiled at me. "I know, baby. Another reason why I love you."

We walked into the diner hand in hand. I wearily looked around the place for the tall Native goddess. Not spotting her, I relaxed into Sam's side. I looked up to see him looking down at me, giving me a comforting smile while he squeezed my hand. Sam led us to the diner counter. I took the seat next him. The waitress behind the counter smiled at Sam, ignoring my presence. _Shocker,_ I thought, recognizing her as one of the girls gossiping in the bathroom those weeks ago.

"Good to see you, Sam."

"You too, Sadie."

"What can I get today?"

"I know what I want, but I think Bella will need a menu. Bella?"

"Yes, please."

Sadie sneered at me. "Sure, just a sec."

She handed me the menu, and I glanced it over.

"I think you'd like buffalo burger," Sam suggested.

"Buffalo? Like a real buffalo?"

I heard the waitress snort and mutter under her breath, but loud enough to still hear, "No, an imaginary one, retard."

I saw Sam about to comment, but I reached out for his hand. He looked at me, and I shook my head. It would be a losing battle with someone so strongly on Team Leah. I wouldn't waste Sam or my breath on her.

"I'll try the buffalo burger with sweet potato fries, please."

"And I'll need two double BBQ burgers, the fried fish platter, a basket of chipotle chicken tenders, another buffalo burger, a large onion ring, a large regular fry, two baked potatoes and a…" Sam stopped and looked at me. "What type of pies do you want, baby?"

"I planned on fixing brownies later."

"You know you only enable him when you give into his wants like that."

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to get into his good graces."

"He's more trouble than he's worth. Unless you plan on baking two or three pans worth, we'll need a pie or two."

"Anything but cherry."

Sam smirked. "Of course not."

"Kim mentioned once that Paul liked blueberry, and I haven't had that type in a few years."

He sighed, but didn't say anything my further facilitating of Paul. "Fine, add two blueberry pies too."

"Sammy?"

He scoffed at the name as he turned. "I've told you, Leah, not to call me that anymore."

"I can call you whatever I want. I've been calling you that for five plus years, and I'm not going to stop on _her_ account."

Sam rubbed his forehead agitatedly. "Leah, please don't."

"Don't what?" She asked, batting her eyes.

"Don't start with the drama crap."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sam."

"Bella and I just want to wait for our food in peace."

"Can't two old friends catch up?"

"They can when both parties are happy with being just friends."

"I can't help how I feel, Sam."

"Well, maybe some distance will help you move on."

"I don't want to move on."

"Leah," I said, quietly.

"What?" She snapped.

"I know it can be hard, accepting that your first love won't be your first and only, but I'm sure there's someone perfect out there for you."

"What would you know about it? You took my Sam from me."

"No, I didn't take him. I met him long after the two of you broke up, and we started dating months after that. And I know how it feels because I had to let go of the guy I thought I would spend forever with too." I saw Sam wince at the word 'forever.' "But letting go was the best thing that could have happened. It allowed me to open my heart to Sam, and now I'm with my soul mate."

"You don't anything about me," she said heatedly. "Sam and I would have found our way back to one another if you weren't in the way."

"No, Leah. We wouldn't have," Sam cut in.

"You don't know that, Sam."

"I do. We broke up long before I ever laid eyes on Bella. We weren't right for one another. And we never would have been happy in the long run."

Leah looked back and forth between us before rushing to the back.

"No need to say I told you so," he muttered, laying his head on the counter.

"I would never say that," I said softly. He lifted his head and one eyebrow. "Okay, I would, but not in a case like this."

"Maybe we should avoid her if we can help it, even if not to avoid the trouble, then to avoid hurting her further."

"I think that would be wise. If I lost Edward before finding you, I would probably still hold onto the memory of him and me long after the break up too."

"Yeah. It was easier for me to move on, even without meeting you yet, I knew Leah and I weren't meant to be. And I knew you were out there somewhere, or at least I hoped."

"So let's not flaunt our happiness anymore."

"Agreed, but where on earth are we going to get good cooking on the rez now?"

"What I am, chopped liver?"

"Nah, baby. You're the best cook, but you deserve a break every once in a while."

"Good answer."

"And also the truth."

A throat cleared behind the counter and the waitress stood with a scowl on her face. "Your food is ready."

"Thanks. How much is the total?"

"$48.65."

"Here," he said, handing over some bills. "No change. Thanks, Sadie."

* * *

Not soon enough, we arrived back at Sam's house. We carried the food into the kitchen, passing Paul in the living room. He hobbled his way into the kitchen, shrugging off Sam's help.

While the boys filled their plates, I whipped up the brown mix, so they would cook during the meal.

"No nuts in those, right?" Paul questioned.

"No nuts, Paul."

"Good, the nuts ruin them. Brownies should be gooey and soft."

"I agree whole heartedly," I said, giving him a small smile. He looked taken back by my agreement.

"Well, yeah, anyone with sense would," he said, going back to his burger.

We ate in relative silence. I thought Sam's thoughts were probably still back in the diner with Leah. I knew part of him still pained from hurting Leah.

After we finished the meal, Sam announced it was time for him to take over patrol from Jared. As soon as the door closed behind Sam, I turned to Paul.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked him.

He spared me a short, uninterested glance. "I don't know what you're doing, but I'm watching TV."

"I guess I could do that."

Paul let out a long, perturbed sigh. "Whatever."

I sat in Sam's usual recliner while Paul laid out on the couch, propping up his leg. He flipped through the stations quickly, too fast for me to ever really see what was on each channel. After ten minutes of hasty channel surfing, he stopped on the National Geographic Channel. I watched for a moment to see what appeared to be a special on indigenous people of Papua New Guinea.

"Really, Paul?"

"What, Sunday afternoon television sucks. It's this, crappiest movies whoever it is that picks movies could find from the nineties or infomercials. I don't want to watch a movie with bad acting and worse plot, and I certainly don't care about learning the finer points of five hundred dollar knives. So I pick this, deal with it."

I pressed my lips together hard, trying to keep the laughter in. But a few small snorts of amusement fell through.

"What's the problem, leech lover?" Sadly the names had continued. He only called me Bella when he really needed something and knew he had to be nice to get it or when Sam stared him down.

"Nothing, Paul, I just love that you know such details about Sunday television programming."

"Right," he said, drawing out the word. "I've got my eye on you," he warned, giving me a stink eye.

I shrugged. "Sure, sure."

An hour later, the special ended and a show that started off with a slightly intriguing, kind of freaky clip of a child in the womb came on. It was the same feeling you have when you see an abnormally tall or short person; you know it's not right to stare, but you physically can't tear your eyes away. The screen changed to the intro shot, showing us the title of the new show: In the Womb: Identical Twins. Paul and I shared a look, before he flipped the television off.

"I personally don't care to know what goes on inside a womb."

"It was kind of freaky looking," I added.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "As a girl, aren't you supposed to be in awe of the wonder surrounding birth or some shit like that?"

"I'm sure when I'm pregnant myself, I'll view it as a miracle of sorts, but I don't particularly want to see all the development of an embryo at this point in my life."

"You'd think with over two hundred stations, something would be on that's worth watching."

"Mhm," I agreed.

Paul and I sat in silence for a minute before I came up with an idea.

"We could play a game," I suggested.

He raised an eyebrow. "I like games. What were you thinking exactly?"

"I don't know. Kim and I never got around to buying any board games for the place. Do you know of any games around here?"

"Board games, definitely not. Video games, there's a plethora."

"No, not video games. I suck at them, you rule at them. No."

"You're forgetting I only have one good arm."

"You'd still destroy me. Got any other ideas?"

"Sam keeps a deck of cards in the junk drawer in the kitchen."

"Sounds good, I'll go get them."

I walked into the kitchen and easily found the deck of playing cards. I grabbed the small writing pad and pencil in the same drawer. I didn't know what we would play, but I figured many games would require us to keep track of our scores.

Walking back into the living room, Paul remained in his previous position on the couch. Deciding the recliner would be too heavy to move by myself, I left the cards, pad and pencil on the coffee table and returned to the kitchen to grab a chair. I sat the chair on the other side of the coffee table from Paul. He had already started to shuffle the deck awkwardly, trying not to move his right arm too much.

"What do you know how to play, paleface?

"A few games, but I vote for Rummy."

"Stupid, pussy game. We'll play Texas Hold 'em."

"I suck at poker, Paul."

"It's because that pale skin gives your bluffs away every time with that blush."

"So let's play something else."

"Ah, but I like that I have the upper hand at poker."

"We play a game that we both have equal chances of playing."

"Fine, take away the cripple's fun."

"Pulling the handicap card won't get you far with me."

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "How about playing war?"

"Your freaky fast reflexes would beat me at slapping the pile every time."

"Again, I point out the one good arm," he said, literally point to his bum arm.

"One bad arm doesn't cause your one good arm to move any slower."

He looked annoyed. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Go Fish?"

"That's worse than Rummy," he grumbled.

"You get your pick of those two, Paul."

An hour later, I found myself dumbfounded at the table before me. I had a lonely one pair of matches while Paul had nearly a dozen in front of him. The current hand was our second round at playing Go Fish. The first, I lost by an embarrassing sixteen pairs.

"Do you have an eight?" I asked Paul.

"Nope. Go fishing." I pulled a two of clubs from the deck. "Do you have a queen?"

"Go fish," I said.

"Do you have an eight?" He asked me. I looked up at him blankly to see him staring back with amusement in his eyes and a smirk sitting on his lips.

I let out a defeated sigh and handed over the card. "I hate you."

"You're just a sorry loser, that's all."

"Do you have an ace?" I asked.

"Go fish," he said, playing with the cards in his hand. I drew a card and pulled an eight. _Great, one hand too late. _"Do you have a five?" he inquired.

"No. Go fish." I watched him pull the card and smile. He then laid down a pair of sevens next to the freshly placed eights. "Do you have a king?"

"Go fishing," he told me.

I pulled a diamond, which on closer inspection was a five. I grew excited that I would finally have another pair upon my next turn.

"Do you have an ace?" My previous smile dropped. Not two turns ago I had asked for that card and now he all of a sudden had it. In fact, the same thing happened with the eights and the sixes before that.

He smiled at me. "Come on, paleface. I know you have it, so just hand it over."

I gasped. "You– You're– I…"

"Spit it out there, paleface."

"You're so cheating, you cheating…cheater!"

"Wow, once again you amaze with your use of the English language. Sam really ought to teach you some better comebacks. And as for your appalling allegations, I stand by the fact that I am simply a magnificent player at the game of Go Fish."

"No, no, no. I'm starting to see the pattern. You wait a turn or two and then ask for the very card I already asked for."

"It's not my fault that the deck gives me the cards after you've already requested them. I'd be stupid not to ask for them since I already know you have them in your hand."

"I don't think that's what is happening here, Paul."

"And what, pray tell, do you think is happening here, leech lover?"

"I ask for a card, you lie about not having it and then you ask for it a short while later. That's cheating!"

He looked at me blandly. "Nice theory you have, because that's all you have: a theory. You have no proof, just a string of bad luck on your part."

"I don't think I want to play with you anymore."

Paul shrugged. "I win by default then. But really, paleface, you shouldn't be such a sorry loser."

"I don't mind losing when it's fair."

He smirked. "Doesn't look that way to me." I saw his eyes shift toward the kitchen.

"Paul–" I started.

"Fine, whatever," he cut me off. "Let's drop it."

I started to question his sudden change in attitude, but the sound of the back door opening cut me off. With a smile on his face, Sam entered the living room.

"Hey, baby," he addressed me.

"Hi, you're early," I said, standing to greet him. He took me in his arms, and I relished in the warmth.

"I saw no signs of activity, so I figured I'd come back in awhile and then do a couple of quick perimeter checks periodically. I'll be right next to you, so you'll still be protected."

"That sounds like a great idea." He bent down and left a chaste kiss on my lips, leaving me wanting more.

"I thought so too. I missed you," he said against my lips.

"All right, all right, enough with the lovey-dovey crap."

"Paul, it's always a delight to be in your presence. What did you and Bella do while I patrolled this afternoon."

"Oh you know, just the usual. She waited on me and foot, and then we fucked like rabbits in your bed."

My eyes widen like saucers at his answer while Sam's face turned red.

"Paul!" Sam roared.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Don't say shit like that or I'll rip your throat out and your balls off," Sam growled lowly.

Paul rolled his eyes. "I was kidding, obviously."

"No one's laughing."

"Everyone in this pack is a party pooper with a stick up their ass. I just try and lighten things up every once in awhile."

"Go to your room."

Paul's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me, _Dad_?"

"You heard me, Paul. Go to the guest room until I call you out. I want to spend time with my imprint, and obviously you're only going to be a distraction from that."

"You can't shun me like that," he whined.

"I sure as hell can; it's my house. Stop bitching and start hopping."

"Fine," he huffed, pulling himself to his feet. "I didn't want to be in the leech lover's presence anymore anyways."

Sam sighed. "Just go," he said, tiredly.

We watched as Paul limped his way to the back of the house toward the bedroom. Sam pulled me down onto the couch with him.

"He didn't bother you too much did he?"

"Well, I thought we were having a rather pleasant day until I figured out that he'd been cheating the whole time we played Go Fish."

"Does a pleasant day with Paul exist?" Sam snorted.

"I can hear you, jackass! And there's no proof I cheated," Paul yelled from the bedroom.

"We'll see what I hear next time you phase," Sam called back.

"Fuck," I heard Paul curse loudly.

Sam shook his head. "Don't ever play a game with Paul; he always finds a way to cheat."

"That's why we picked Go Fish. It was one of the only games I could see that he would have a physical advantage at playing. It never crossed my mind that he would flat out lie to my face about the cards he held," I grumbled.

"That's because you're good and honest, Bella. Not everyone in the world is like you. Never gamble, baby, people would eat you alive."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So any trouble besides the cheating?"

"Nah, he behaved."

"Good. Then what do you want to do while I'm in?"

I buried my face in his chest before answering so he couldn't see my face turn cherry tomato red. "Can we maybe try for where we left off last night?" I asked, meekly.

I felt him tense up below me and it left me confused. "Uh, yeah. Of course we can, but I wouldn't think you'd want to with cripple in the house."

"Well, I figure he'll see it anyway later in your head, so what's the difference. Plus, I wouldn't mind torturing him for a bit."

"His running commentary for one could be annoying. Though, he did just turn his iPod on full blast a minute ago, so his hearing us would be at a minimal."

"And I feel like I never see you– alone anyway. I miss being close to you."

"I miss spending time with you too, baby. So much. Once we get the redheaded leech, things will settle down."

"I love you, Sam."

"And I love you, mé'oonna."

We spent the rest of the evening making out like a pair of teenagers. The clothes did stay on, but the night left me feeling ready to move the physical boundary line back. We wouldn't be having sex any time soon, but I felt comfortable with our physical relationship starting to move in that direction.

But for now, all the focus would lie on keeping me alive and safe from Victoria.


	33. Chapter 33

**DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.**

* * *

Sunday morning after Charlie departed for fishing with Billy and Harry, I left for a different house in La Push. I arrived at Sam's shortly before eight o'clock.

Exiting the truck, Sam pulled me into his arms.

"My mé'oonna, how did you sleep last night?"

"All right, I guess." Really, a certain redhead had made an appearance in my dreams, leaving me awake in my bed from three o'clock on.

"Bella," he said chidingly.

"Yes," I said, weary.

"Did you forget I patrolled by your house last night."

"Oh, yeah."

"You seemed pretty restless."

"Just a dream."

"Bella, I wish you would talk to me about these things."

"Sam, talking about it won't do anything. I may not control my dreams, but I can control what I'm thinking of during the day. I don't want to worry about what I can't control."

"Fine, but know you can talk to me if you change your mind." I nodded. "Then come with me," he said, taking my hand to pull me toward the backyard.

"Where are we going?"

"A little surprise I cooked up."

"Oh really? This surprised didn't involve actual cooking, did it?" We walked through the backyard and started into the woods.

"I did not cook, so you don't have to worry about contaminated eggs."

"So what are we doing then?"

"You do know what the definition of surprise is, right?"

"You know I hate them, right?" I countered.

"Just two more minutes, my impatient, little imp."

I huffed. "Who you calling little? I'll have you know, five foot four inches is the exact average height for women in America. That makes me taller than half the women in this country."

Sam laughed at my response. "Oh, my Bella, only you."

"What?" I grumbled.

"I call you an imp, the part most would take the greatest offense to, and you get angry at the 'little' part? Baby, when you hang out with a pack of werewolves, being average height among the normal humans means absolutely nothing."

"Whatever," I muttered.

"Well, you'll be happy to hear that we're here."

"What?"

Sam pulled me through a break in the trees. There sat a small meadow. Not the one I had already come to know but a new one. This one was smaller and sat at the edge of a little stream. Taking in the scene, I noticed a blanket and basket sitting near the center.

"I thought you said you didn't cook," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"_I _didn't cook. The little eatery on Main Street did."

"They were open? I thought that place was a myth."

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I've been by there, they've been closed. Angela said she'd only seen the place open once…her entire life."

"Oh yeah, that. The owners tend to only open when they feel like it."

"How is that a way to run a business? And how did you know they would be open today?"

"It's a retired couple that owns the place. They don't even live in La Push full-time. They got a large sum of money quite a bit ago, though, I don't know the origin of the money. It was either a settlement with some big corporation or a dead distant relative – I forget which. Anyways, they sort of just take off and travel as they please. Then they come back and open the eatery a few shifts here and there. And I didn't know they'd be open. I was just going to go to the diner, but after seeing the eatery open, I stopped there instead. Rare, great food and avoiding Leah equals a win-win to me."

"Oh. So is the food really as good as I hear?"

"Why don't we sit and find out. It's been a couple years since I've gotten the opportunity to eat there myself."

We sat down, and Sam pulled all the food out. I found my eyes closing in state of euphoria on their own once I took a bite of the best omelet known to man. I had no clue what was in it, but it tasted like a little slice of heaven. We each shared each item, allowing me try a bit of everything. Sam finished off the things I didn't particular care for, though, those were in very limited quantity.

Finishing my blueberry muffin, I couldn't help but voice my outlook on the eatery's scarce openings. "You do know this is crazy, right?"

"What?"

"Opening a restaurant on random whims. I mean, why don't they just close it down if they don't need the money or want the trouble."

"It's not about the money for them, Bella."

"Then why do it?"

"They love cooking, they love socializing with those that come in and I think they secretly love sparking such excitement on the res when they do randomly open."

"If they love it so much, then why don't the open full-time or at least part-time?"

"That would take some of the joy and excitement out of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Leather work." _Um, can you say random? Not seeing the connection._ "I love working with it on occasion. It relaxes me, gives me joy. But if I made leather work my full-time job, the pressure of it all would ruin the relaxation or joy I once got from it. If I had to worry more about what the customer wanted or deadlines than on the craft and what it means to me, then I would no longer cherish or value that activity. The freedom to start and stop whenever I wish gives it more power. I would assume that cooking and the eatery works the same way for the couple."

"Oh." That made sense. Actually, it made perfect sense.

It caused me to ponder the things I do in my own life. Did I hold anything dear like that? Suddenly some doubt I had been ignoring came to the surface.

"I don't think I want to be a teacher," I blurted.

"What?" Sam asked, clearly confused with his eyebrows knitted together and his mouth turned in a frown.

"I love tutoring and interacting with the kids, but I don't think I'd enjoy teaching like that everyday, all day."

"Okay," he said slowly. "Then what do you want to do?" That was the problem, wasn't it?

I let out a short laugh. "I have no freaking clue."

"Bella, you know I'll support anything you do, but you need to start forming some type of plan. La Push and Forks don't offer a lot of options, so you can't just get a degree in anything and hope you find a job with a description that meets your degree. You kind of need to have a job description already in mind when you pick the degree so they match up."

"What if the job I want doesn't exist?"

"I guess you could commute to Port Angeles," he said reluctantly.

"No, not there either." I say a short look of trepidation fill his eyes before a blank mask took over his face.

"I don't get what you're saying, Bella. Do you want to leave here and get a job somewhere else? Make a life somewhere else?" I could hear the next, silent question, '_with someone else?'_

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all. I want to live here with you, Sam. But what if what I want isn't here?"

He shook his head. "I honestly have no clue what you're asking me."

"Do you think I could create a job?"

"Like, start your own business?"

"No, maybe, I don't know." I let out a loud sigh. "I just know that nothing that's here currently draws me in. I want to help the community, but I don't know how outside of being a teacher that I can do that. And I know that's not what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. So I feel stuck."

"Well, I don't know a job we can create for you off the bat. But I'm sure we can do some research and figure something out. There's plenty of ways to help the community, we'll just need to find one that fits you and that can be converted into to job. Maybe I can speak to the elders about it at the next meeting. The pack should have one coming up soon with them."

"But you do think it's possible then?"

"Yeah, baby, I do. We'll just have to wait and see. Don't stress over it, okay? And for God's sake, don't scare me with that 'job I want doesn't exist here' crap. I thought for a second you were leaving me."

"Face it, Sam. You can't get rid of me no matter what. You, my very large, furry friend, are stuck with me." I smiled up at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my very little, pale friend."

My smile dropped like a ton of bricks. "I honestly want to hate you sometimes."

He grinned widely. "But you can't, because you love me," he said, drawing out the word 'love.'

* * *

After spending an hour more in the meadow, we headed back toward the house. Sam held the backdoor open for me, and I walked inside.

"Thank God, I'm starving," the most annoying voice in the world hollered from the living room.

"Paul, shut your trap," Sam snapped back. I rolled my eyes as I strode over to the fridge. I found it easier to give into some of Paul's demands than to have to listen to his whines all day.

Setting the sausage on the counter, I saw Paul hobble into the kitchen.

"You can't blame me. You know how I get when I'm hungry, and yet you still brought that basket full of deliciousness into the house without giving me even a crumb. I hate you."

"And I can't wait for you to return to your own home tomorrow night. I can't afford for you to live here any longer. And I'm not just talking financially. My sanity can't take much more of you either."

Paul put a smug look on his face. "You'll miss me when I'm gone."

Sam snorted in response. "I'm sure you won't let me with the constant visits and food stops you tend to take here."

"What can I say, you have a better television than I do at home. And more channels."

"Bella, don't let him push around. Paul, if I hear one complaint about your behavior from my imprint, the injuries from that vamp will look like a small scratch compared to what I'll do to you."

"Why always so cynical?"

"Because I know you too well – unfortunately."

"I am not feeling the love today, Samuel."

"Go back in the living room so I can say goodbye to Bella."

"Ew, I'll still be able to hear," Paul complained.

"Then close your ears," Sam answered.

Paul wobbled away, grumbling about 'stupid imprint couples.'

Sam pulled me into a strong embrace. "I love you, mé'oonna. And I'll see at dinner time."

"You're skipping lunch?"

"Yes, so fix a big meal for tonight. I'm sure I'll be starved by then."

"Okay. Anything in particular you'd like?"

"Nope, I love everything you cook."

I rolled my eyes. "Suck up," I said with an echo. My eyes widened when I realized Paul and I made the same comment simultaneously.

"Oh fuck. I've spent so much time around the leech lover that I'm sounding like her now too. Shit!" I heard him complain from the other room.

"Please don't try and kill one another while I'm gone. I'd hate to have to explain his absence to his mother and the blood on your hands to your father, the chief of police."

"What?" Paul yelled. "I don't think so."

I ignored Paul. "Be safe. I'll see you soon," I said, leaning up for a kiss. Sam nibbled on my lower lip, wanting access. In an act of defiance, I kept my lips firmly together. He'd have to work for what he wanted for I felt like teasing him. He forcefully opened my mouth with the power of his tongue. Our tongues met fiercely, each fighting for dominance. As one of his hands made its way to my hair, I moaned at the sensation he created while massaging my scalp.

"I think you've successfully devoured each other's mouths from the sound of things, so Sam can be on his way now."

I pulled back some gingerly.

"I can't wait to have my house back," Sam murmured against my lips.

"Me too," I whispered, thinking of the possibilities.

* * *

I took his late breakfast to Paul in the living room. We watched Spongebob, a show I had discovered seems to be on at all times on at least one channel. After I couldn't take much more, I retreated to the kitchen. There I started on my homework for the week.

Around one, I closed my Statistics book to fix lunch. I didn't feel like doing a ton since I'd be fixing a lot for dinner. So I just threw a couple of boxes of spaghetti noodles in the massive pot. Then I threw some butter and parmasean cheese on top.

"Paul, lunch is ready. Come get it."

"Can't you bring it to me. Patrick is trying to learn to ride a bike."

"You come in the kitchen and eat or you don't eat at all."

"Fine, I'm coming." He once again hobbled into the kitchen. Slumping in his seat, he stared at the noodles in annoyance. "Where's the sauce?"

"I didn't cook any."

"Why not?"

"Didn't feel like it."

"But it's no good without the sauce."

"Then you fix it."

"I don't know how."

"Then until you learn to cook, I don't want to hear any complaints from you."

"You're a bit of a bitch today, aren't you?"

"Shut up and eat."

* * *

Not soon enough, Paul returned to the living room. I finished up a paper due Tuesday in English. Then I set out on preparing dinner.

I pulled the ground beef and venison out of the refrigerator. I mixed both meats together and added breadcrumbs, eggs, tomato sauce, chopped onion and different seasonings. After thoroughly mixing, I divided the mixture into two cooking dishes and added the sauce on top. I placed both dishes of meatloaf in the oven and set the timer.

Before I knew it, the timer went off thirty minutes later. I pulled the dishes out of the oven. I turned off the oven and started on the pot of mashed potatoes. I decided on the easy route to potatoes: boxed. I threw the milk and water in with the powder. Next I washed and cut the broccoli for the other giant pot. I placed the meatloaf dishes back in the oven once I knew it had cool enough down to not burn the meatloaf but still keep them warm while waiting for Sam.

After the sides finished cooking, I put both on low heat. I saw the clock read six o'clock, the normal time Sam and I ate. I decided to check in on Paul, as he had been unusually quiet the past ten or fifteen minutes. Before he would randomly shout at the television characters for being stupid or me to bring him something to drink.

When I walked into the living room, I saw Paul bent over with his head turned away from me and the television sat on mute. From the angle he sat, I could just barely tell he wore a smile. _How odd? I didn't know he could genuinely smile and not grin or look smug. _I took a step into the room concerned, and his head popped up to look at me with wide eyes.

"I have to go now," he said in a low voice, and that's when I saw he was on the phone.

I wondered to whom he could be talking to. I had never heard Paul speak about anyone outside the pack before, so I really had no clue. The only things I knew for sure were that he didn't have an imprint and Sam had mentioned Paul wasn't one for lasting romantic relationships either.

"Yeah, sure, tomorrow," he said, looking at me with a stony face.

"Uh huh…Right…Yeah, you too." A second later he let out a frustrated breath. Sorry, I meant I love you too, Mom." _His mom?_ Well, that made a little more sense.

He hung up the phone and took a deep breath before turning to stare me down. "Can I help you, paleface?"

"Talking to your mom?"

"Wow, you're a quick one, huh? And to think you're tutoring the next generation of this tribe. We're in trouble now."

"You're a jerk."

"I prefer asshole, thanks."

"Gah! You aggravate me to no end."

"Then I'm doing my job well. Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, but we're waiting on Sam."

"But it will get cold," he whined. "Besides, he won't mind, let's start without him."

"No."

"Oh, come on. It won't hurt anybody."

"We're waiting."

"I'm stronger than you; I could just eat regardless of what you say."

"You move so slowly with that bum leg that I'd have plenty of time to get the metal bat and hit your sorry ass upside the head before you lift the fork to your mouth."

He sat still, with a face of shock before letting out a low whistle. "Damn, leech lover, I didn't know you could be so violent."

"Paul, just sit there and be good."

"I'm a wolf, not an obedient lap dog."

"Could you just–" I started but stopped hearing a pair of howl echo out of the woods.

"Shit," Paul muttered. Another howl sounded louder, closer. "Fuck."

"What? What do those howls mean?"

"A bloodsucker."

"Where? How many? Is Sam okay?"

"How the fuck would I know any of that? I don't actually speak real wolf. One howl means non-urgent meeting, two howls mean urgent, bloodsucker-related get your ass here now. Besides that, I know as much as you do – nothing."


	34. Chapter 34

**DISCLAIMER:**** Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga.

* * *

**

"Then what do we do?"

"Us? Nothing we can do. We sit and wait."

"But –"

"No buts," Paul said with narrowed eyes at me. "Sam will want you safe and protected. So we'll sit here like a good boy and girl and wait until we've been told otherwise."

"How long do these things usually take?"

"Catching a vamp?" I nodded in confirmation. "Depends on the vamp and how many. Could take thirty minutes, a few hours or all night. You never know these things unless you're in the thick of things."

"There has to be something we can do."

He looked at me and shrugged. "You could cook."

I huffed in annoyance. "Honestly, is your stomach all you can think about it? Besides, dinner is already done."

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm not thinking about _my_ stomach. Sam and Jared will be starved by the time they get back, and they'll want more than just that meatloaf after chasing the that leech to Canada. All that running burns a lot of calories."

"Oh. I guess you're right."

In a high-pitched, girly voice that I could only assume was meant to sound like me, Paul spoke, "I'm sorry, Paul, for insinuating that you're being an ass when you're actually being rather thoughtful. How rude of me to always assume the worst about you. You know the saying…when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me."

"You are such a drama king sometimes," I said, shaking my head and making my way to kitchen.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't be me any other way."

"Whatever."

I started in on several deserts: two types of pie, a cake and some cookies. I let the measurements, mixing, and cutting take over my mind. And for an hour, it worked. The kitchen clock hit seven and my mind began to concoct all the things that could be keeping Sam from returning home.

But it didn't take long for Paul to notice my sudden lack of movement and noise in the kitchen. He came hobbling in to see what my 'deal' was.

"Well," he muttered, biting his lip, "we can play a game while we wait."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not playing a game with the cheating likes of you."

"I won't cheat, scout's honor," he said, putting four fingers over his heart.

"Your honor obviously means nothing since the boy scouts use three fingers and cub scouts use two. Neither uses four. Let me take a wild guess, you were never a scout?"

"Not exactly, no. But regardless, I promise not to break any of the rules tonight. And that promise is only for tonight, for after it, all bets are off. I play to win any way I can."

"At least you're honest about not being honest," I snickered.

He smirked. "What can I say, that's just the kind of stand up guy I am."

"What kind of game did you have in mind?" I asked, weary.

"How about 'never have I ever'?"

"I may not be a partier, but I pretty sure that's a drinking game. Is it not?"

"Not necessarily. It can be, but I'm guess the chief of police's daughter wouldn't be up for that kind of game. Although, if you are, then I'm sure I can arrange for us to get the supplies we would need."

"I'll pass on the alcohol."

"I figured," he said rolling his eyes, "so we'll play sans booze. It'll be a great way for us to get to know one another."

Both of my eyebrows rose. "Why am I skeptical of your sincerity even though you didn't just say that last part sarcastically?"

"I don't know, why are you?"

"Because it actually sounded like you genuinely wanted to get to know me."

Paul raised one eyebrow. "Maybe I do."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Must you question everything? Perhaps you should just take my act of good will, accept it and move on. So who gets to go first? Ladies first, or would you rather I get the show going?

Paul and his antics had allowed me distraction from the thoughts running wild through my head. If I was worried about Paul's next action, then I wasn't fretting over Sam and the intruding vamps.

"Never have I ever dated a kissed leech," Paul said smugly. We were playing for cookies, and Paul had found a legal way of cheating, though, he stood firmly it wasn't cheating. He purposely picked things to say, knowing I had indeed done them. Most of them had to do with Edward or the other Cullens.

"Here's your damn cookie," I grumbled, sliding the chocolate chip cookie across the kitchen table at him. "Never have I ever…played a video game for more than an hour at a time." Cookie exchange. And to keep up, I had to use a similar tactic.

"Never have I ever been bitten by a bloodsucker." Another cookie exchange.

"Never have I ever licked my own butt before."

Paul's face instantaneously morphed into a scowl. "That was one isolated incident!"

I smiled triumphantly. "I didn't say I'd never done it more than one isolated time, so pass the cookie over."

"Humph." He sat quiet, and I fear the words to exit his mouth. "Never have I ever been an eighteen year old virgin." Sadly, a pass of the cookie was made.

"Never have I ever been a manwhore."

"Only in your dreams, babe," he said, sliding the cookie back over.

"How 'bout in my worst nightmares."

He ignored the comment. "Never have I ever been a prude."

"Ha, I'm not a prude, so I keep my cookie."

"Oh, but you are a prude, so pass it over."

"How am I a prude?"

"Shall I go back to the never have I ever been an eighteen year old virgin?"

"That's not my fault."

"How do you figure that?"

"Edward was my first serious boyfriend. I wanted to, he said it was too dangerous. Not my fault."

"I going to forget you just said you _wanted to _fuck a leech. My mind can't handle that. So we're moving on to Sam because I know it's not his fault you haven't done the horizontal tango."

"Kind of hard with someone always here."

"You've had opportunities before…"

"Just because he's my soul mate doesn't mean I should jump into bed with him. Sex means more than that to me, all right? I think you should be in love and fully comfortable with one another."

"Fine, whatever. I don't really want to discuss this. It's bad enough that I'll see when it does happen, so let's move on."

"Fine with me," I muttered.

"Your turn, paleface."

"Never have I ever been called an asshole."

A smirk took over his face. "Good thing each turn only requires one cookie. I'd be in debt to you if I had to hand over a cookie for each time I'd been called an asshole."

"Well, hand over the one cookie then." He threw said cookie my way.

"Okay, impatient. Now let's see…never have I ever been in the hospital."

I passed the cookie back to him. "You would have this week if you'd been normal."

"Ah, but you're wrong there. 'Cause if I was normal, I never would have been running around the woods hunting a leech and said leech never would have broken my leg and arm to begin with while I was morphed into a horse-sized wolf."

"I guess you're right. Never have I ever…had a sibling."

"Damn, I knew that little booger would cost me something one day," he grumbled, handing over the cookie.

"You have a little brother, right?"

Paul hesitated before answering, "Yeah."

"How old?"

"Eleven."

"What do he and your family think you do when you're gone so much for patrolling?"

"It's just him and my mom. They think I do work for Sam. Repairs by day when I'm not in school and rez security by night."

"Do you find it as hard to lie to them as I do to Charlie?"

"Yeah. Especially when Mom needs me to watch Phoenix, but I can't because I'm patrolling. She doesn't understand why I can't just call in or switch shifts."

"Whoa, wait. Phoenix is your brother?"

Again, a single eyebrow rose. "I thought you knew that."

"Um, no."

"Well, he is. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, not at all. I just really like Phoenix. We get along great at the community center. I never would have guessed he shared the same blood as you."

"If it makes you feel better, we're only half brothers."

"How come he's so sweet and you're so…not."

"He's the baby. He gets protected from the harsh reality of life. Just because I have such a bleak look of the world doesn't mean I want my little brother to share that view. Phoenix is an optimist. I'd like to keep him that way. He'll go places other than here with that type of attitude."

"So I'm guessing him being a half brother keeps you from worrying about him phasing."

"Yeah, his dad doesn't have the gene as far as Sam and the Elders can determine."

"You asked?"

"Hell yeah, I asked. I don't want Phoen living like this. If there was a possibility of him phasing, I would have figured something out to keep that from happening."

"Who would have guessed you were such a good big brother, Paul."

"Nah, I good brother's there for him. I'm never around. You didn't even know we were related. He looks up to Sam more than me."

"Whether he realizes it or not, Paul, you're a good brother."

"Whatever," he muttered. There was an uncomfortable silence before he broke it. "Never have I ever been a girl."

I snorted. "Really? That's what you're going with?"

"Yep, so hand over the cookie."

"Never have I ever been a boy."

"Real original, paleface. Never have I ever been on a plane."

"You've never flown?"

"One, where would I go? And two, where would I get the money for the ticket?"

"I don't know. Where would you want to go?"

"Hmm, maybe Amsterdam. I hear they have a fantastic red-light district."

I rolled my eyes. "Figures."

* * *

And so the game went. Eventually we left all the obvious statements and moved onto statements that actually allowed us to learn new things about one another. Every once in a while we would pause the game to share a story that related to what we had or hadn't ever done.

We made our way to the living room to sit more comfortably at some point. In there, the game stopped and the stories kept going. I sat on the couch against the window listening to Paul tell another childhood story.

"So why did you think that was a good idea?" I asked skeptical.

"Well, Phoen said it wasn't possible, so that just fueled my determination. When people tell me I can't do something, even my little, annoying brother, I tend to work extra hard proving them wrong."

"And how old were you?"

"I had just turned twelve and Phoenix was six."

"You let the doubt of a six-year-old convince you that jumping off the roof was a good idea?"

"Birds have wings. Planes have wings. They both fly. I thought if I had wings, I could fly too. It made sense."

"That's faulty logic, but moving on. What exactly were the results of this flying disaster?"

"Well, I made my wings out of some the backs of some old, broken lawn chairs. And my plan was to fly, but my backup plan was to land in the pool. My aunt and uncle had sold us the previous summer their old, used above ground pool. Nothing fancy, but a pool nonetheless. Man, I thought we were the coolest kids on the rez with that thing."

"It's Washington, you got to use it, what, four days out of the year?"

"No," he said, dragging out the word. "More like two weeks out of the summer, if you must know. Anyways, the point is that I loved that piece of shit pool."

"Okay."

"So obviously plan A didn't work. No flying took place."

"Obviously."

"Yeah, so jumping off the roof above the pool probably saved my life. Unfortunately, it killed the pool."

"What do you mean?"

"Somehow I got lucky enough that the 'wings' feel off me. 'Cause let's face it; landing with those still intact probably would have landed me in the ER with two broken arms."

"Coming from experience with multiple fractures, you're probably right there."

"But my luck ran out there. The metal somehow punctured the pool. I was so in shock that I stayed in the pool as it emptied from the leak. Once it was empty, I just sat there not moving. My mother came home from the store to find an empty house. She came out the backdoor freaked and looking for us. As soon as her eyes found Phoenix sitting at the picnic table in one piece, she started to calm down. But then her eyes found me sitting in the middle of the empty pool. The freak-out she had coming out of the house looked calm compared to the explosion that came out of her mouth after she'd seen what I'd done."

"So what happened afterward?"

"Well, I got grounded, understandably. My mother never left me in charge again of Phoenix and myself until just last year. But the absolute best part of what happened afterward…I established my bad boy status. After that, I was the kid no one wanted his or her kids to hang out with and get influenced by. But that also made me super cool in the eyes of all the other kids. I scored my first girlfriend only a week after the 'incident' as my mother likes to call it."

"Oh my God," I laughed. "This incident is what led to your bad boy persona?"

"Yep."

"That's so stupid!"

"What?"

"You broke your own pool, the thing that you already thought made you cool. And it turn, you're made cooler. That makes no sense."

He chuckled with me. "I never said twelve-year-olds were the brightest things. That's about the age when stupid shit becomes the coolest shit. If the parents hate it, it's popular."

We both continued to laugh. Big bad Paul established his reputation from trying to prove to his little brother that he could indeed fly. It was amazing how one small event can change the course of someone's life.

Suddenly I found myself the only one still laughing. I looked up to see Paul standing stone still and staring toward the back of the house with a penetrating expression upon his face.

"Paul?"

"Shh," he said, his eyes never leaving their spot.

We stood in silence for a few moments before he cursed.

"Fuck."

"What?" He whirled around with a wild look in his eyes.

"Get away from window," he commanded.

Hopping up from my seat, I ran toward him. His left arm pulled me behind him and he walked us toward the kitchen where the back door was located.

"Paul, you're freaking me out," I whispered.

"Good because you should be."

"What's going on?"

"Bloodsucker."

"Here?" I questioned in quiet but high-pitched voice.

"In the woods, lurking."

"How do you know?"

"Kitchen window open; I caught the scent. Plus, I can hear it pacing the tree line, determining its next move."

My mind started racing, and words just starting tumbling out of my mouth at full speed. "Where are Sam and Jared? Shouldn't they be with the vampire? Are they hurt? We haven't heard howls in a while. What are we going to do? I'm useless and you're hurt."

"I'm fine. I can phase."

"No you're not. Sam said–"

"Guess what?" He asked, cutting me off. "Sam's not here right now, and I'm pretty sure he'd approve of me phasing a day early if it meant keeping you alive."

"But you're not fully healed, Paul. You could get hurt worse or killed if you try to fight when you're not one hundred percent okay."

"Well, staying human will get me killed a lot faster than phasing. At least we have a fighting chance if I phase. Sam and Jared can get here before it gets you."

"What about you?" I asked alarmed. He talked as if he wasn't making it through the impending doom.

"I can take care of myself."

"That's my point, you can't."

"Bella, I don't have time to argue with you. There's a bloodsucker out there waiting to kill you. We can debate what I can and can't do at a later time."

"We can't if you're dead trying to play hero."

He turned to me, taking his off of the backyard for the first time since we entered the kitchen. "I'm not trying to play hero, I'm trying to do my job as a protector."

"I don't see the difference."

"I'm not going out there to risk my life to go down in a blazing glory and earn myself some fancy title or honor. I'm going out there to do my duty and to save you, my Alpha's mate and a member of my tribe. There's a world of a difference."

"Here, little doggy. Come out and play," an all too familiar female voice rang from the backyard. It wasn't just any vampire out there; Victoria stood outside taunting us.

"Stay here," Paul ordered.

"But –"

"Stay the fuck here, Bella."

"Please be safe," I said quietly.

He nodded before opening the door and existing the house. I closed my eyes, wishing it would all go away. When I heard Paul's loud roar, my eyes popped open and I rushed back to the window.

I watched anxiously as they went back and forth, almost dancing in a finely choreographed waltz. Victoria dodged to the left and Paul instantly followed her movements. After a couple of minutes of this pattern, Paul threw himself at her, but jumped back and then into a tree. He rammed into the tree, pushing it and her down. Victoria went for Paul's backside, but he turned in plenty of time and snapped at her legs. They continued to dance back and forth. Paul blocked her every advance toward the house.

Suddenly she pounced on him, and they tumbled around on the ground. I saw her grab for his back right paw. When they pulled apart from one another, it looked as if Paul was limping a little. It looked as if his right back paw was broken. I saw Paul try and put his full weight on the leg, and he let out a small whine.

She went to grab his front leg, throwing Paul's balance off. With a low growl, he snapped his jaws at her legs and latched onto the left one. She let out a feral scream and disentangled herself.

I was getting worried when I heard howls break through the woods. I felt myself get hopeful, but it didn't last for long. Upon listening to the second wave of howls, it registered that they were still quite a ways through the forest.

From the sounds of the howls, Sam and Jared were still far away, going against who knew what. Sam would have been there to fight Victoria if there weren't something keeping him away. She must have come more prepared this time with even further help than her last attempt.

So Paul was on his own against the revenge-thirsty, redheaded vampire. Even I could see that Paul was losing against Victoria. Paul required help. Victoria had reinjured his already broken leg. There was no way he could defeat her with a broken back leg and a still sore front paw.

The grey wolf needed a distraction to gain power over Victoria. I ran out the back door and into the yard with a two-folded plan. I'd talk to Victoria and try to use the conversation as a distraction. And if that failed, then words behind the conversation would ring true, and I'd hope she take me and leave Paul alive.

I called out to her, "Victoria, leave him alone. Take me. He had nothing to do with James."

"Don't you dare say his name, bitch!" She sneered at me.

"Why are you even here? The wolves had nothing to so with James."

"I want you dead."

"A mate for a mate?" I guessed.

"Yes, your stupid Edward took away my James. I want him to feel the same pain."

"But I'm not with Edward anymore."

"Our kind never stops loving their true love. Edward will love you until the day he ceases to exist. And even though I'm sure he hurts without you now, knowing you traded him in for a mutt, I know the knowledge of you dying as a result of his actions will cut him far deeper than anything else ever could. He'll pray for death after word of your demise reaches him."

"Aren't you afraid Edward or my mate will seek revenge against you after my death?"

Paul snapped at her, but she dodged his teeth and redirected her attention on me.

"I won't really care at that point. I'll have my revenge, so my love for James will be reaffirmed. Avenging his death is the only thing keeping me going. I'll happily die, but only after you do by my own hands."

Clearly the talking as a distraction wasn't working. It seemed like time for the second part of the plan.

"Then if my life is all that's keeping you, why don't you just take it and leave everyone else alone."

"Well, if this mutt would step aside, I'd love to kill you," she said, glowering at Paul.

"Paul, stop." Only received a vicious growl in return.

"Your little guard dog doesn't seem to take orders very well."

"He doesn't, does he? Paul, there's no use in us both dying. Just let her take me."

A loud howl rang out from the woods. I knew that howl –– Sam. I didn't want to leave him, but clearly Paul couldn't hold off against Victoria much longer. I'd be dead with or without Paul's feeble attempts against her. One of us might as well live. And she wouldn't stop until I'd taken my last breath, so it would be Paul to live.

"Just knock him out, a blow to the head will disengage him. Then I'm free for your taking."

"Don't you think I would do that if it was that easy, you stupid girl. The mutt is obviously stubborn about keeping you alive."

Paul jumped toward her again, effectively breaking off the exchange between Victoria and myself. He managed to push her into the tree line. With my view of them partly disruptive, I felt my panic set back in. Every once in a while during the conversation, I had heard Sam's howls. But they never seemed any closer.

Listening to the trees being plowed over by Paul's fight against Victoria, I follow they're movement even if I couldn't see it clearly. Standing there helpless on the back porch, Billy's words from a council bonfire in the weeks before flowed through my mind.

"_The Third Wife She was no magical being, no special power but one. Courage. The Third Wife's sacrifice distracted the Cold Woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. She saved the tribe."_

I could do that. I could save Paul. A conversation with Victoria wouldn't be the kind of distraction he needed. I ran inside and looked around the kitchen for something, anything to use. My eyes stopped on the knife in the sink I used earlier to cut the broccoli for dinner. Grabbing it quickly, I hurled myself out the backdoor.

A crying howl seized my attention. I quickly sought out Paul, who was struggling in Victoria's clutches near the edge of the tree line. She had her arms wrapped around his back, crushing him.

"Victoria," I screamed. Her red eyes jumped to mine; they widened as they took in the knife in my right hand. I brought it to my left, slicing my palm. I winced at the pain but kept my eyes locked on hers. I felt the blood drip from my palm as her nose flared in response to the smell. Breathing through my mouth, I tried not to pass out from the smell myself.

With little hesitation, she dropped Paul and started toward me. I closed my eyes and waited for my end.


End file.
